Don't You Remember?
by Cait Mur
Summary: After being shot, Beth wakes up in Grady Memorial to a very normal world with no walkers and where nobody seems to have any recollection of The Turn. When she finds Daryl's bandana among her things, she sets out to find him to see if he remembers her. How will Beth adjust to her new world? Will Daryl remember anything about her?
1. Chapter 1 - Awake

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter One - Awake

 _Author's Note: Alright, readers. So what I learned from the last story I started to write is that I really need a clear outline to get through to the end. Also, things were getting heavy in "All I Ever Will Be" so I wanted to write something a little bit lighter because I was having trouble finishing my last chapter. So, here we are. Please enjoy and please take a minute to review!_

* * *

The world had gone black, quickly and suddenly and came back into view just as fast. Beth Greene's eyes shot open and she gasped desperately for a breath. She caught air in her throat, inhaling too fast and coughed violently as she sat up.

She steadied herself, her breathing returning to normal and tried to remember what the hell happened last. She'd plunged a pair of scissors into Dawn, that was for sure, heard a deafening bang and now, she was here. Alone. White walls. Shades drawn. Clock ticking up on the wall. Thin sheets, stiff around her body. Moveable table to the left of her with a plastic cup and a pitcher. She shifted, her body feeling tense, and looked down to see a small tube in her arm. Her brain clicked.

Hospital.

"Oh hell no," she whispered, her mouth feeling dry, throat on fire. Frustrated, she tore the IV out, holding her arm for a minute to stop the inevitable blood that would follow. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, bare feet hitting the floor firmly. Her legs tingled, still asleep. How long had she been in bed?

Beth reached to the table for the flimsy plastic cup and dumped water into it from the pitcher that accompanied it. She took a nice long swig to try and soothe the uncomfortable soreness in her throat. It coated her esophagus nicely, so she took another gulp, letting ice cling to her upper lip. And then, she realized, something was off.

Ice? No, that wasn't right. There wasn't ice in the apocalypse.

She looked up, towards the far end of the room where a table sat, scattered with…gifts. Small balloons with plastic sticks. Cards. Flowers. A ridiculously large teddy bear holding a bright pink heart that read "Get Well Soon!" She stared at them, narrowing her eyes, hating them because she didn't understand why they were there. The items were so out of place, it scared her.

A siren wailed suddenly and Beth whipped her head towards the large window to her right, practically jumping in the air from fright. She scrambled to the sill, crushing the plastic shade to the side of the window. The sunlight burned her eyes, whiteness blinding her momentarily until her sight adjusted. And then, she saw it - red and blue lights, flashing, coming into view slowly, matching the sound of the siren. The vehicle raced down the road she was staring at, weaving in and out of cars.

Wait, cars?

She squinted, knowing she definitely wasn't seeing things properly. But sure enough, clear as day, there were other cars. And they were all moving. No, not just moving. Driving. With purpose.

She pressed her face to the glass, nose squished and her breath fogging up her view, but she needed to _see,_ god damn it. Why were there so many cars? Why were they all moving? She looked around at the city, the buildings in tact, the sun bright in the sky behind them. She strained her eyes, trying to make out smaller movement on the sidewalk, realizing there were people, crowds of them, and from the looks of it, none of them were dead.

A gasp rose up in her throat and she stepped back from the window, terrified, wrapping her hands around her body like she wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. The crushed window shade fell back into place and she stared at it, her mouth open and her heart racing, thudding loudly in her chest. She was losing it. That was it. She had lost her mind.

Beth turned around, looking at the entrance to her room, a long wooden door that was closed tight. She walked towards it quickly, reaching for the handle, meeting it and tugging the door towards her to exit the room.

She was met with bright lights from the hallway and a hum of voices from down the hall. Beeps and clicks came occasionally, completing the symphony of hospital noises that would have, under all other circumstances, been completely normal. But for Beth, it was horrifying. Instinctually, she reached to her hip, for her knife, but was met with her flimsy hospital gown instead.

She was so alone. So unarmed. Back in the place she'd been trapped in for so long, again. And on top of it all, she was most certainly losing her mind. She clung to the doorframe, peering down the hallway. A woman walked out of a room with a clipboard in her hand, giving a hearty laugh like everything was fine. She watched her as she carefully slipped into the next room with practically a skip in her step. Something _definitely_ wasn't right.

"Beth?"

The sound of her name startled her and she jumped away from the opening of the door, releasing the frame, walking backwards until she hit the edge of the bed she'd woken up in. There was nothing else to do then but sit down.

"Oh god. Sorry." A small, round woman came into view in the doorway. Her face was framed with large circular glasses that made her eyes look too big for her face, short hair and a button nose. She held a hand up to signal that she meant no harm but Beth stared at her angrily anyway.

"I didn't mean to startle you," the woman said kindly, coming closer towards her. She was dressed in all white, a long doctor's coat with white pants, holding a clipboard in her left hand. Immaculate. Just how Dawn would want her.

"Who are you?" Beth asked, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. "One of Dawn's new recruits?"

"Dawn?" the woman questioned. "There's no one by the name of Dawn here, Beth. My name is Doctor Lee and you've been in a terrible accident." She smiled at her then, as though she'd just told Beth she'd won a nice prize. "But you're going to be just fine. You're at Grady Memorial Hospital, and we've been fixing you up real good. You'll be out of here and home with your family in no time!"

Beth cocked her head to the side. "Family?" she asked. "You mean Maggie? Daryl? Rick?"

The doctor lady smiled at her. "Why yes, Maggie, of course, but I've been lucky enough to meet your whole family. Your mom and dad and Shawn. Jimmy comes in every day to see you," she said with a wink. "Real nice catch you got yourself there."

"Oh no," Beth said, giving a nervous laugh. "That's impossible. They're all dead." She'd said it so certainly, but the look on the woman's face told her that she wasn't quite making sense to her. And well, that was okay, because nothing was really making sense right now anyway.

The doctor shook her head at Beth slightly, and then stopped. "You've suffered an awful head wound. It's normal to feel confused." She nodded reassuringly at Beth, who stared up at her furiously. "It'll all come back to you soon enough. I'll order you another CT scan, just to make sure everything's ship shape."

Beth seriously doubted anything new was going to come back to her. She hadn't forgotten a thing. Not one detail. The past few days, weeks, months - hell, the past two years were still clear as day. What was happening now - it was madness. It was wrong. She refused to believe it was real.

"I'm not confused!" Beth exclaimed, feeling slightly hysterical. "I need to leave. Rick and Daryl made a deal. I'm meant to leave."

The doctor had a pained look on her face. "Oh, now we can't have that quite yet," she said, as though she were talking to a small child. "You're not fully recovered. Once you're on the mend you can head home, but right now, it's best if you stay with us."

"How long have I been here?" Beth asked slowly, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"About a week," the doctor replied, jotting notes down on her clipboard. "You're our best patient!" she said in a tone that suggested she said the same thing to all of her patients.

"Right," Beth replied, accepting momentary defeat and pulling her feet back up onto the bed to shove them underneath the covers.

"Hungry?" the doctor asked, walking towards the door and sticking her head out into the hallway. She motioned towards someone who Beth couldn't see and suddenly she had a tray in her hand which she placed on the table next to Beth. "You should eat something."

"Fine," Beth said defiantly, her stomach growling at the smell of hot food. She supposed she'd accept this doctor's ridiculous story for something to eat.

"That'a girl!" the doctor said. "I'll be back to check on you soon. In the meantime, eat up and try to rest. I'm sure your family will be here soon to have a visit. They'll be so thrilled to see you're awake!" Beth stared at the doctor who was so excited, her face was glowing, her grin spread from ear to ear. Beth wanted to slap her. Instead, she tugged the table towards her so that it came level to her chest.

The doctor nodded at her and exited the room, leaving Beth to her meal. The tray in front of her held a covered plate, some plastic utensils and a covered styrofoam cup of Jell-O. Well, she guessed it didn't get much better than this. The plastic dome that covered the food was flimsy, and she threw it to the side of her bed to reveal a plate of spaghetti with some soggy garlic bread on the side. Beth didn't care. She took the fork and dug in, shoveling the food into her mouth, eating hurriedly, afraid someone would come to take it away from her at any moment.

Another siren came from the direction of the window and Beth stopped eating for a minute to listen. It sounded so real. Scary real.

The food was the best thing she'd eaten in a while. She hadn't remembered feeling so full since the prison and it felt good. It felt normal. But everything was still wrong. She couldn't get the image of the street out of her head, so once she was done, she hopped out of the bed again to look out the window. She wanted to prove to herself that she'd made it up.

As she reached the window, she crushed the shade to the side again and looked out, her eyes scanning the ground below, still scattered with real, living people and the road still congested with real, moving traffic. She wanted to scream. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

She turned to face the room again, going towards the table full of gifts and she yelled at them, crashing into the table with all her might, throwing her arms out so that she could scatter the dumb superficial crap across the floor. She felt an overwhelming need to destroy all of it. She didn't understand why any of it was there.

The flowers went flying, vases crashing into the solid ground, shattering, spilling tinted water across the linoleum floor. The balloons bounced off the walls, the stuffed animal slumped over to the side and then, she saw it. It was unmistakable. Daryl's black bandana - the one he had handed her when she was trying to collect berries out in the woods. After the prison had fallen. Folded up neatly, just waiting for her to find it.

She gasped when she saw it, letting a sob leave her lips as she sank to her knees, her skin hitting the floor hard as she knelt in front of the table. She grabbed the fabric, clutching it in her hands, inhaling it. It smelled like him, like Daryl. Like outside. Exactly how she remembered.

He was real. He had to be. Why else would the bandana be here? She gripped it firmly in her hands, holding it to her chest as she wandered back to the hospital bed. She laid there, head in the pillow, pulling the fabric taut, then crumpling it back up. Finally, she settled on folding it neatly in her hands, tucking it underneath her pillow, the comfort of it being there enough to help her fall back asleep.


	2. Chapter 2 - Home

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Two - Home

* * *

When Beth woke up next, the clock across the room told her it was two in the afternoon. She expected to wake up - this time _really_ wake up, back into the ugly world she'd left behind. But she didn't. Everything was still the same.

"How about string beans?" Her daddy's voice broke through the air, pleasant and sweet. She'd heard it many times in her dreams before, so it was more of a comfort than anything.

"I was thinking steamed carrots." Maggie was to her left, arms crossed, her feet up on the hospital bed.

"Well, how about both?"

"Daddy?" Beth heard herself speak, turning towards the sound of his voice. His face came into view, clean shaven with white hair, smiling at her. "Maggie?" she questioned out loud, looking towards her sister, who reached out for her hand, holding it tightly.

"Hi Bethie," she said.

And she lost it.

The emotion encompassed her completely at the sight of them both, sitting there, like everything was just peachy. She was trying to remind herself, in between sobs, that this wasn't real. It couldn't be. Eventually, things would all go back to how things were. Wouldn't they?

After what seemed like hours of crying, sobbing and wailing, touching both of them multiple times to make sure they were real, Beth accepted that she must have been having one hell of a hallucination and she'd decided to make the best of it. It wasn't every day the dead came back to life.

Well, not like this anyway.

She'd watched her father's head get hacked off. He had died in front of her. She'd also distinctly remembered that he'd lost his leg, but here he was, both legs in tact looking no worse for wear. Maggie was healthy and beautiful, as she'd always been. No wedding ring on her finger, Beth noticed and it made her sad thinking Glenn wasn't part of this weird dream she was having.

"Hello Maggie. Hershel." The doctor was back, gliding into the room with her clipboard, looking at Beth excitedly like they were about to fly to the moon. "Hi Beth!" she exclaimed. "Ready for your last CT scan?"

"Last scan?" Maggie asked her. "Does this mean Beth will be comin' home?"

"That's exactly what that means," the doctor replied, giving them a wide smile. "I thought you'd might need to stay a few extra days, but the rest of your vitals are all up to par. As long as there's nothing concerning on the scan, you can finish the rest of your recovery at home."

"Home," Beth said out loud. "The farm?" She looked at Maggie for confirmation.

Maggie ignored her. "Oh Momma and Shawn are gonna be so happy!" Maggie exclaimed. "Daddy, let's order pizza tonight instead!"

Hershel nodded. "Pizza it is!" he exclaimed.

Oh god. Pizza. Beth's insides tingled at the thought of it. Pizza was her favorite. She supposed she could play along with this fantasy long enough to get to eat some god damn pizza.

* * *

The scan was normal, whatever the hell that meant, so Beth was allowed to be discharged from the hospital. Maggie and Daddy left her in the room to get changed into regular clothes which was the weirdest thing she'd experienced in a while. And that was saying a lot.

Her clothes had been folded and put away into a neat little plastic hospital bag at some point. A pair of jeans - washed, without holes and her favorite pink t-shirt waited for her. White, clean socks were also stuffed inside and as she slipped them on she realized that she barely remembered the feeling of sticking her feet into a warm, dry article of clothing. If she thought eating hospital food was as good as it could get, this was even better.

To complete her ensemble, Beth pulled on a pair of black Converse high tops which looked really strange on her feet. She missed her boots, but she felt cleaner and more normal than she had in months. She supposed it wasn't too bad. Better than being covered in blood, anyhow.

She went back to her bed, throwing the flimsy, flat pillow to the side to reveal the black bandana she'd so carefully placed there. She picked it up in her hands, turning it over, feeling it between her fingers. It was soft and familiar and really the only thing she had that proved she wasn't going fucking crazy.

Carefully, she placed it in her back pocket, straightened her shirt and went to the door.

"Ya done in there?" Maggie yelled from outside, banging on the door before she could get to it.

Beth grabbed the handle, annoyed, and pulled the door open. "Holy hell Maggie, I'm here."

"Beth! Watch your mouth." Hershel glared at her.

"Oh, shit." She winced, realizing she'd sworn again. His eyes bulged at her. "Sorry." She sighed. "I'm sorry." This was going to take some getting used to.

"Well, let's get you home anyhow," Hershel said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, pleased to feel the balance of his two legs beneath him as she leant into him.

* * *

The car ride to the Greene farm made it real.

Beth could sort of handle what she'd seen out of a window, but up close, the streets and the people were all real. Close enough to touch. Masses of people with flesh in tact, talking and walking and smiling and speaking animatedly on their cell phones. The streetlights worked, there were lights on in buildings, she even heard the sound of a saxophone from a street player at a red light.

Beth sat in the middle of the Greene's blue truck, her father on her left and Maggie on her right. Daddy had the radio on, and all the DJ's seemed real, playing songs Beth had never heard before. Maggie was texting on her phone, the clicks on the device loud and strange to Beth's ears.

"I told Shawn we're comin'," Maggie said with a wide grin. "But he didn't tell Momma. We're gonna surprise her." She said this to Beth who nodded at her blankly.

It only just occurred to her that she was about to see her mother and brother for the first time since she'd seen them turn. Except, they hadn't turned in this world where she was right now. They were alive, according to her father and sister. Very much alive. And although she felt crazy and disoriented and confused - she wanted them so badly to be just as real as Hershel and Maggie were right now.

The ride felt long. Driving out of the city, Beth took everything in, appreciating the cars driving alongside them on the road. She stared at the drivers, the passengers, everything - trying to remember every detail about them. Daddy and Maggie sang along to some of the songs on the radio, but Beth stayed silent, still feeling like she would have to wake up at any moment.

"What happened to me?" Beth asked suddenly, realizing she had no idea what had caused her to end up in the hospital in the first place.

Maggie and Hershel met eyes nervously.

"Don't you…remember?" Maggie asked her, placing her hand on her shoulder gently.

Beth shook her head, looking down at her lap.

"You were in an accident. Some drunk crashed right into your car," Maggie said sadly. "Totaled it. You and another person ended up in the hospital." She hesitated slightly. "It was awful."

"What matters now Beth, is you're all fixed up and here with us now. No use dwelling on what's happened," Hershel said smartly. "The doctor said you might be confused for a few more days. And that it's totally normal for you not to remember things." He side-eyed Maggie and she sat tight lipped for the rest of the drive.

Finally, they reached the Greene farm, the large white house coming into clear view. The barn was still there, not burnt to ashes like she'd remembered and the windmill still stood tall and strong, spinning in the wind. As they pulled up, Beth saw Shawn sitting on the steps of the porch, standing as he watched them pull up.

"Momma!" Beth heard him yell towards the house as Hershel turned off the truck. Beth followed Maggie as she slid out of the vehicle, landing on the dirt driveway, remembering how everything had ended here. It made her sad, but she was here again and everyone was alive. It didn't make sense, but she didn't want to keep questioning it. If she was here, she kind of just wanted to enjoy it.

Shawn came around the side of the truck, grabbing Beth, his big arms wrapping around her small body, picking her up and crushing her to his chest. "Bethie!" he yelled, spinning her around and placing her back down on the ground. Beth reached up to touch him, placing both hands on his cheeks, looking at his face, his dark, handsome features staring at her happily. Well, he sure felt alive to her, even though she'd remembered seeing him as a walker, crawling out of that barn, shot dead by Daryl and the others.

Without thinking, she slipped her hand into her pocket, the tips of her fingers touching the bandana she hoped was still there - and it was. She wasn't sure if she was worried it would disappear or fly away, but she was just glad it was still there.

As Shawn and her broke their embrace, Beth looked up towards the house, watching the screen door fly open and saw her mother standing, very much alive, in the doorway. Annette Green was breathtakingly beautiful, the sun reflecting off her face which held a wide, genuine smile as her eyes took in her youngest daughter. Beth's heart ached for her for so long after her death that seeing her again was almost too much. She felt like she was tearing apart at the seams.

She walked towards her, slowly at first until she realized she was running, up the stairs and straight into her mother who was solid and warm, wrapping her arms around Beth, stroking her hair, squeezing her tightly to her chest.

Beth couldn't stop the tears as she sobbed and sobbed into her mother's dress. "Oh Momma," she said, not able to help herself. "I missed you so much." She was gripping her sides now, trembling, digging her nails into her like she wanted to latch on and never let go.

"Beth," her mother said softly. "Bethie, are you okay?"

"I am now," Beth breathed as she sank into her mother's arms, letting her body fall limp, feeling exhausted from her emotions and comforted by the familiar feeling of her mother that she hadn't felt in years.

* * *

Night came quickly and Beth had convinced her family to leave her alone long enough to explore her room. It had changed since she'd last seen it. Her desk was clean, a laptop sitting on top of it, untouched. When she opened it, a Facebook page popped up and she scrolled through it apprehensively, against her better judgement.

She was met with photos of her with her friends, her with Maggie and Shawn and her parents, her on dates with Jimmy, kissing him. There was even photos of her high school graduation which she certainly didn't remember and it both scared and infuriated her, so she slammed the computer shut, wishing she hadn't looked.

There were no photos of her after The Turn, after they'd left the farm. No photos of her and Lori or Carl or Judith. There was no proof that she'd met Rick or Glenn or that they had all built a life at the prison. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the memories she'd clearly created in these Facebook photos, but all she could remember was the walkers, the barn burning down, running, the prison and, of course, Daryl.

She remembered Daryl best of all. His shaggy hair and big arms, his gruff voice and that hard shell that surrounded him that she'd tried to crack. He was good at hunting and tracking and keeping Beth alive. He killed walkers with his crossbow and he was _real_. He was real. She had to keep reminding herself, touching the bandana every time the thought drifted from her mind.

Suddenly, a low buzz came from her dresser and she looked up to see a cell phone vibrating across the surface. She walked over to it nervously, looking at the screen. "Jimmy" was calling with an option to accept or decline. She stared at it for a minute, before selecting "decline."

The screen lit up, the little green 'Messages' icon telling her that she had over 100 messages waiting to be read. She took her finger and touched it, opening it, revealing a list of people who had sent her messages during the time she'd apparently been at the hospital.

Jimmy's name was at the top, so she opened the thread, reading what he'd said:

 _"I love you"_

 _"I miss you"_

 _"Are you home yet?"_

 _"You're my sunshine Beth."_

 _"I can't wait to see you!"_

 _"Call me when you get this!"_

 _"Are you getting my messages?"_

 _"Call me as soon as you get home"_

 _"Beth? Are you home?"_

 _"?"_

 _"?"_

 _"I love you!"_

"Oh my god," Beth said out loud, slightly disgusted, turning the phone over, no desire to respond to him.

The doorbell rang, startling her slightly, so she left her room, making her way down the stairs into the front foyer. The rest of her family was seated around the dining room table and Maggie had stood up to answer the door.

The pizza, Beth remembered. She had been waiting all day to eat a slice of the hot, cheesy goodness. She thought this nightmare, or dream, or whatever it was was well worth it for a slice of hot pizza.

Maggie pulled the door open, counting bills in her hand. As Beth reached the bottom stair she peered towards the doorway. She could smell the pizza - practically taste it in her mouth, so she wandered towards the door, eager to grab the box, but instead she froze, her eyes focused on the figure at the door.

"That'll be forty," the man said. He was Asian, his face familiar, his voice one that she'd heard so many times over the past two years. The delivery guy was Glenn.


	3. Chapter 3 - Two Years Gone

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Three - Two Years Gone

* * *

"Glenn?" His name was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. He was dressed in a light jacket with a red baseball cap, holding the pizza boxes out to Maggie, which she took from him. His eyes shifted to Beth who came into view behind her sister.

"Sorry?" he questioned, looking at her like he was trying to remember if he knew her.

"Glenn!" she exclaimed, mistaking his confusion for recognition.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Glenn asked, shaking his head and looking bewilderedly at Maggie.

Maggie looked at Beth with her mouth slightly open. "Beth. What the hell?" she hissed at her.

"It's Glenn!" Beth said firmly, looking at Maggie, then back at her family at the dining room table who had all turned around to stare at her.

Beth turned back towards Glenn and frowned. "You're Glenn, aren't you?"

He nodded, then pointed to his jacket. In the left corner, in large letters, "GLENN" was sewn directly into the fabric.

"No," Beth started to say, the frustration of the day catching up with her. "Glenn, we met you - two years ago. You came to our farm. You and Maggie," she pointed between them both. "You're supposed to be married."

Maggie looked at her sister, horrified. "Beth!" she exclaimed at her, shoving the pizza boxes into her arms. "Take these to the table, please."

"But," Beth started to protest.

"GO!" Maggie yelled.

Beth obeyed, furiously, slowly sulking over to the dining room to place the boxes on the table. She felt everyone's eyes on her and her cheeks flushed with annoyance.

I'm so sorry," she heard Maggie say. "My sister, she's just suffered a head injury. She's a little confused lately." As Beth turned around to sit in an empty seat, she saw Maggie dig into her pockets for a few extra bills and wave them at Glenn. "For your trouble," she said.

"No, don't worry about it," he said from outside the door. "Have a good night."

Maggie slammed the door behind him and stomped over to the dining room table where Beth had just taken a seat next to Shawn.

"What the hell was that!" Maggie yelled at her, her fists on her hips.

"Maggie." Hershel's voice echoed in the small room, warning her.

Maggie closed her mouth and sat down into a chair forcefully, shooting daggers in Beth's direction. Beth decided to ignore her, grabbing a slice of pizza and placing it on her plate. She took a bite, but was so lost in thought she was unable to enjoy it.

Glenn had shown up at the farm. How was it that she knew him, she'd known him for years, but he didn't remember her? Or Maggie - his wife! Her mind was spinning. Why didn't he remember? Beth broke out into a cold sweat then, trying to ignore the fear that was rising in her body.

Again, her hand found her back pocket, pressing against the soft fabric of the bandana that was still in her jeans. If Maggie didn't remember, Daddy didn't remember and Glenn didn't seem to remember, did that mean none of the group would remember? One thing was for sure, she needed to find Daryl. The bandana meant something, she was sure of it. And she was determined to figure out what.

* * *

 _She kept dreaming the same scenario, every time she fell back asleep. In the woods, with Daryl. Always with Daryl. She was so angry at him she couldn't think straight. It was after the moonshine, after he'd grabbed her, after he'd yelled at her. He'd pinned the walker to the tree trunk with his bolts and was being a complete and utter dick._

" _What the hell you'd do that for? We was havin' fun," Daryl spat at her as she sunk her knife into the walker's brain furiously._

" _No, you were being a jackass!" Beth yelled, seeing red. "If anyone found my dad…"_

" _Don't." He pointed a finger at her. "That ain't even remotely the same."_

 _She'd seen Daryl angry before, but never like this. This was something else. "Killing them is not supposed to be fun!" she argued with him._

" _Whatta want from me girl? Huh?" he yelled, getting in her face threateningly._

" _I want you to stop actin' like you don't give a crap about anythin'!" she cried. "Like nothin' we went through matters. Like none of the people we lost meant anythin' to you. It's bullshit!"_

" _That what you think?"_

" _That's what I know."_

 _But this time, it was different when he broke apart. It was different when the walls came down. The fight, the exchange, it had changed. A calm came over both of them, and she caught her breath, the adrenaline in her veins disappearing slowly._

" _Daryl," she asked him very calmly, and he stared at her, sweaty and large in front of her, still breathing heavily, his face still screwed up in anger as he listened to her. "Daryl, where are you?"_

" _I'm right here," he said to her, and he opened his arms for her, so she hugged him tightly, inhaling him, trying to remember. When they broke apart, he shoved something in her hands. "Take this," he said. "You can find me. I won't forget you."_

* * *

Beth woke the next day startled, disoriented and sweaty in her own bed with white sheets and the sun shining through her soft pink curtains that hung over the window in her room. In her sleepy stupor she reached to her side for a weapon that wasn't there. Instead she was met with the bandana she'd fallen asleep with, realizing it was what Daryl handed her in the dream.

The image of him still hung in her head and her heart ached for how much she missed him, though she didn't miss that world. It was a conflicting feeling for Beth, to miss these people she'd learned to love and care for, but not miss all the pain and experiences she'd endured with them.

She slid out of bed lazily, yawning as her feet his the floor, relishing in the fact that she was wearing pajamas - _real_ pajamas for the first time in years. She could get used to this and was starting to consider that maybe this wasn't a dream after all. Everything felt so real. And, could you dream within a dream? She didn't think so.

Her closet was relatively the same, though there were a few articles of clothing she didn't remember - namely a black robe which was presumably from her high school graduation that she didn't remember attending. She pulled it out curiously, touching the fabric and smelling it like it would somehow prove the realness of it. The cap was attached to the hanger it hung on, ordinary, with a tassel that hung to the side. At the end was a silver "12". The presence of it in her closet made her want to cry.

She'd longed to go back to a normal life for so long after The Turn. She'd wanted to go back to school, graduate with her classmates, go off to college, make a life with Jimmy. She'd wished and dreamed and prayed for normalcy. But everything had changed so drastically - so quickly. People had died. Everything had shut down. You needed to adapt to survive. Beth had needed to grow up more quickly than she ever would have liked.

And now? She wasn't even sure she could adapt back into whatever normal this was supposed to be. She'd been through so much heartache and so much struggle, formed bonds with people she'd learned to love that she wasn't sure she could handle being the only person in the entire world who remembered it. It was too much burden to bear. Not to mention, it made her feel crazy. Was she crazy? She couldn't shake the thought from her mind.

She hung the gown back in her closet and picked a new outfit - this time a lightweight tank-top and new pair of jeans. The garments were fresh and clean, pressed and folded perfectly by her mother. She went to carry them to the bathroom so she could change after a shower, but her cell phone caught her attention, buzzing again across the dresser surface.

She checked it curiously. Another text from Jimmy. She'd supposed she would have to answer him at some point, but now just wasn't the time.

* * *

"Daddy, no one runs ads in the newspaper anymore," Maggie argued with Hershel as Beth wandered into the kitchen. The shower had felt amazing. Beth was pleased to find that her favorite shampoo and soap had been stocked in the shower for her return home as well as a fresh razor and face wash. She lathered up for what seemed like a good hour before she towel dried her hair, got dressed and came downstairs.

"Whatcha runnin' an ad for?" Beth asked nonchalantly as she entered the kitchen.

"Mornin' sweetie," Hershel said happily, his eyes still scanning the newspaper on the table next to his bowl filled with cereal. Maggie sat beside him chewing on a banana. Her eyes landed on Beth and she narrowed them. Clearly she still wasn't over what happened with Glenn last night, which Beth thought was ridiculous considering Maggie apparently didn't even know who Glenn was.

"Otis and Patricia moved up to Virginia two weeks ago. We need a ranch hand," Maggie said shortly. "Don't you remember?"

Beth turned away from them both, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She had watched Patricia's neck get ripped out by a walker when they had to run from the farm. That's what she remembered.

"Oh yeah," Beth said, turning around and over enthusiastically thwacking herself on the head with the palm of her hand. "Silly me." She knew she sounded sarcastic, but she didn't really care.

"See!" Hershel said, looking up from the paper, his face swelling with pride. "All you need are some friendly reminders Bethie. You'll be back to normal in no time."

Beth forced a grin at her father but inwardly, she wanted to scream. In this world externally she might have been eighteen years old, but she felt like she'd aged decades. Maggie, her father, her mother, Shawn - they had no idea what she'd been through. They didn't remember. They just thought she'd been in a bad accident - hit her head too hard, was trying to come to terms with forgetting a few things. Not two years of the fucking apocalypse.

"I'm gonna, go outside," Beth mumbled. "Need some fresh air."

"Sure thing sweetie," Hershel said, looking back at his paper.

She couldn't get out of the kitchen fast enough, letting the screen door slam shut behind her as she hurried outside, wanting to get away. The outside of the house was just as normal as the inside. Horses roaming the far fence, one of the cats laying lazily on the porch steps. No dead people wandering around anywhere. No guns, or weapons or blood spatter. Just a lot of dirt and grass, swaying gently in the breeze.

Beth wandered across the porch, over to the rocking chair they'd all taken turns sitting in when it had been time to keep watch. She sat down in it carefully, gliding her hands over the smooth wood, memories flooding her head from when she was a little girl and Momma would rock her outside and sing to her. She'd made peace with her mother being gone and now she was having to make peace with her being alive. It was so ridiculous she almost wanted to laugh. Now that, made her feel crazy.

Suddenly, a low rumble came from the bottom of the Greene's driveway and her eyes averted to see a black pickup truck hurry up the driveway. She squeezed her eyes shut, wincing. That would be Jimmy.

"Aw crap," she said out loud, standing up suddenly, panicking and wanting to run inside. She wasn't quite ready to see anyone from what she was now referring to as her former life, and certainly not Jimmy.

She watched as his truck screeched to a stop right in front of the porch stairs and saw his face light up in the windshield of the truck. He cut the engine and swung the drivers side door open, practically flying out, his feet hitting the ground with a solid _thump_. He slammed the door behind him and looked up at her, his eyes wide and excited.

"BETH," he cried loudly, running up the porch stairs to embrace her. He looked just like she'd remembered, only with a bit more facial hair. Strong and cute, simple Jimmy. Tanned skin with brown eyes and dark hair - handsome features she'd found very attractive when they'd started dating in high school. He was in front of her so quickly that she didn't have time to prepare for his arms to be around her and suddenly he was trying to lift her head to his to kiss her.

It startled her, the forwardness of it all so she pushed him away forcefully, causing him to stumble backwards and he looked at her with a very hurt expression on his face. She stared at him, her mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say. It had been so long. She'd made peace with his death. She'd moved on. She'd lived an entire life without him.

"Hi," Beth breathed, trying to make it less awkward.

"Well hi sunshine," he responded. "What's wrong?" he responded, reaching out for her hand.

She put her hand out to stop him and shook her head. "Sorry Jimmy, I'm just feeling…not myself."

He nodded at her, understanding. "Is that why you haven't been answering my phone calls?" he asked. "I've been trying to get in touch with you since Maggie told me you were out of the hospital. You didn't answer your phone. Or your texts. Or your Facebook messages."

How very persistent. "Yeah," Beth nodded enthusiastically, slightly annoyed. "I've just been feeling kind of off. Haven't really been up for visitors after the accident and all. Just trying to adjust."

"Of course," Jimmy said, not realizing he had completely overstepped his boundaries. "I just missed you, so, so much." He looked at her like he'd never seen anything so precious in his entire life and came to try to touch her again. She pulled away, coming around the other side of him so that he had to turn to look at her again.

"Weren't you at the hospital just the other day?" she asked slowly.

He nodded. "Oh I was. I went every day," he said proudly. "Did you like the big bear with the heart?" he asked with a handsome smile. "It just seemed like something you would love."

"Oh yeah," she said sarcastically, unable to help herself. "Bears with hearts. My favorite. Probably the reason I got better so quickly. Thanks." She knew she was being mean, but she didn't care. He had no idea what she'd been through.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried baby," he whimpered, ignoring her comment. He seemed overcome with emotion and Beth was surprised when tears welled in the corners of his eyes. "If anything ever happened to you Beth," he sighed dramatically. "I just don't know what I would do."

"Well, I'm okay," she responded. "I'm here. Alive and kickin'."

"And I thank God every day that you are!" Jimmy exclaimed, squeezing his eyes closed and leaning forward, his lips puckered, ready for a kiss.

"I think I need to rest!" Beth said suddenly and loudly, moving away from him and reaching towards the front door. Jimmy's lips met thin air and he opened his eyes, surprised. "I'm sorry Jimmy, but I need to get some sleep. You know, recovery, and all that." She shrugged at him. "Maybe I can see you another time?"

"Oh," Jimmy said, in a tone that suggested no one had ever told him 'no' before. "Yeah, that's okay."

Beth nodded. "Good." She reached for the screen door. "Uh, see you," she called over her shoulder and disappeared into the house without a second glance.


	4. Chapter 4 - Searching

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Four - Searching

 _A/N: Hi readers! Thanks so much for all of your reviews, follows and favorites! I think this website_ _was being glitchy with the reviews this weekend but I've read them all and they're very much appreciated. Please keep them coming - I welcome all kind of feedback! :) I needed a little break from my other story, so I'm taking this idea and running with it. (For everyone reading All I Ever Will Be, I'll be posting a new chapter hopefully this weekend!) Hope you guys enjoy!_

* * *

Beth had finally opened her laptop and was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring at her Facebook page. Her profile picture was one of her standing next to Maggie, their arms around each other, both of their smiles large and genuine. At the top, a larger picture of Beth and Jimmy, her head on his shoulder. She looked so content in the photo. Not a care in the world. She barely recognized her own expression.

She sighed, closing the window, staring at an empty browser. She navigated to a search engine, and let her fingers hover over the keyboard. She needed to see if she could find Daryl and considering the circumstances, this seemed like the best way.

Feeling silly, she typed, _Daryl Dixon, Georgia_ into the small search bar and stared at it for a minute, his name looking foreign to her. She'd never seen it written out anywhere and there was something about spelling it out that made her heart jump. She missed him. He was part of a different world, it seemed, and trying to look for him now, in this new world, was strange.

She hit the search button and was met immediately with an overload of information. She scanned through it slowly, finding nothing about the Daryl she knew. She supposed he wouldn't have spent much time on the Internet, let alone have anything about himself on a website, so she hit the back button feeling slightly foolish.

The cursor flashed at her, mocking her from the search bar. She thought for a moment. How could she find him?

And then, it hit her. Merle. He had been in jail a number of times, Daryl had told her so. All that sort of information was online nowadays, wasn't it? So she typed in, _Merle Dixon, Georgia_ , his name looking even weirder and clicked the search button, her heart racing.

An image bar popped up, and there he was. Bald head, angry stare, wrinkles scattered down his forehead. He looked mad, like he always did, with a thin-lipped frown, but he was still familiar in his mugshot. She clicked on it, met with a short blurb:

 _Aggravated Assault - On April 7th, 2015 at 1:30 a.m. Sheriff's Deputy Shane Walsh was dispatched to Dawsonville Tavern for a disturbance in the parking lot. Merle Dixon, 49 of Dawsonville, GA and Axel Temple, 47 of Kings County, GA were both arrested for aggravated assault. Both Dixon and Temple posted bail and were released._

Beside Merle's mugshot was another eerily familiar face - Axel, the man they'd met at the prison. Shane's name also rang a bell so she looked him up next, his handsome face popping up quickly in search results. He'd been here, at the farm. Shot dead, right on their lawn. But in this world, in this reality, he was still working as sheriff's deputy.

These people were real - that was clear as day. They still had lives and families and if what had happened so far was any indication, they all had two years of experiences that didn't include living in the woods or killing walkers or getting shot in the head.

One thing was for certain, Beth was going to need to take a trip to Dawsonville. She needed to find Daryl.

* * *

It took Beth the rest of the afternoon and evening to convince Hershel and Annette that she was perfectly fine to drive to town to meet up with a few of her friends. Of course, she wasn't _actually_ planning on meeting anyone. Beth was planning on driving up to Dawnsonville early the next morning.

"If I don't get back behind the wheel of a car, I'll never get over what happened," Beth argued, her hands on her hips, staring at her parents who were sitting on the living room sofa next to each other. "It's only a few minutes drive!"

Annette had a book on her lap and was absentmindedly fingering the pages as she listened to her daughter. "What do you think?" Hershel asked, turning towards his wife. Annette placed a hand on Hershel's arm.

"I think it'll be perfectly fine," she said to him, glancing at Beth. "It's only a few minutes drive." There was a slight smile behind her eyes and Beth suddenly felt guilt rise up in the pit of her stomach. She was never one to lie to her parents, but this - it was important. And none of them would understand.

"Alright," Hershel said, sounding defeated.

Beth's stomach did cartwheels, but she held it inside.

"Thanks Momma, Daddy," she said, leaning down and swiftly giving them both a peck on their cheeks. She moved out of the room and went towards the front door to sit out on the porch. In a weird way she missed being outside in the wilderness, smelling the fresh air and being in the sun. And for a moment, she thought maybe that was because she missed being with Daryl so much.

Since she'd been back in this new life, the calendar that her mother had hung on the fridge told her it was mid July which made sense with the heat that came during the day and the warm breeze that came at night. The screen door closed quietly behind her and she moved to to sit on the porch stairs, staring out into the darkness.

The air was silent and Beth squinted into the distance, hearing a rustle from the side of the house. Her heart picked up pace and without thinking she slid her hand over her hip, half expecting to find her knife there. It was instinct. A habit that she couldn't break. Without her weapon, she felt naked and vulnerable, but she couldn't go around carrying a knife on her waist without everyone thinking she was crazy.

She stuck her head out, peering around the right side of the house, surprised to see Maggie emerging, looking all around herself as though she was afraid someone was following her.

"Maggie?" Beth called.

Maggie jumped into the air giving a little yelp that sort of turned into a laugh as she recognized Beth on the steps. "Oh! Beth," she whispered. "Hi."

"What are you doing out here?" Beth asked.

"Shh!" Maggie whispered. "I didn't tell Momma or Daddy that I was going out."

Well, that was weird. Beth was used to Maggie being strong and confident and making her own decisions - certainly not waiting around for the permission of their parents. But she kept forgetting where she was and what was happening and that things weren't the same, so instead of asking ' _Why?_ ', she asked, "Where are you going?"

Maggie smiled sheepishly. "Remember the cute pizza guy you sort of yelled at last night?" she asked.

"Glenn?" Beth said, surprised.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, well, I went out to the store to apologize again to him today. And," she smiled to herself, "He kinda asked me out."

"That's great Mags," Beth said with a smile, chills running down her spine. Maggie and Glenn were meant to be together no matter what the circumstances were, and that, she thought, was true love.

She wanted to say, _he's a great guy_. She wanted to say, _he'll treat you well and take care of you and love you just like Daddy loves Momma_. She wanted to tell her how perfect she thought they were together and how she hoped to have a love like they had one day, but she knew she couldn't. Maggie didn't remember.

* * *

Sleeping was difficult. It was her second night out of the world she'd left and it wasn't getting any easier. She tossed and turned in her twin sized bed, checking every so often that the bandana was still underneath her pillow. She slept in spurts, Daryl's face always somehow making its way into her dreams and when she woke she physically ached for him and the others that had disappeared when she'd woken up in Grady. She missed all of them, but, if she was being honest with herself, she missed Daryl the most.

When the sun crept in through the curtains again, she was already wide awake and dressed, sitting on the edge of her bed. Daryl's bandana was tied securely around her wrist so she could keep an eye on it, as though she was afraid it might disappear.

She had looked up directions to Dawsonville on her phone and saw that it was only about a thirty minute drive north of where the farm was. To think, all this time, she'd been living only a half-hour away from the Dixons.

Once she'd brushed her teeth and combed her hair, tying it up in a low ponytail, she skipped downstairs in search of breakfast. Hershel was the only one awake, sipping his morning coffee as he read the paper at the table. Beth had grabbed a banana and sat down next to him, peeling it apart.

"You know, Andrea's been wondering when you're coming back to work," Hershel commented, his eyes shifting to look Beth over. "You might want to pay her a visit today if you're going into town."

"Andrea?" Beth questioned. The only Andrea she knew was the blonde haired woman who'd arrived with Rick and Daryl's group on the farm. The woman who had left her alone at her most vulnerable. The one who had pushed her through to discover her will to live.

She looked down at her wrists that were covered with clear, pale skin. She'd noticed their absence after she had left the hospital. No scars. No indication that she'd ever tried to kill herself. The pain that she'd felt had been so real and so exhausting, but her body showed no proof of it whatsoever. In a way, she thought she should be glad, but in fact she just felt confused about them being gone. They'd been a part of her for a good part of two years, reminding her that she wanted to be alive and that it was good to still have hope. And now, they were gone.

Had she imagined it all?

"Your boss?" Hershel said quietly, "Owns the coffee shop in town? You're her best barista," Hershel smiled at her. "You make a mean latte."

Beth tried to nod like she knew exactly what he was talking about, even though she didn't. Before the turn Beth's only job was helping around the house and the farm and going to school. She felt a little pride rise within her at the thought of her having a _real_ job and money to call her own. She chewed on her banana, trying to look thoughtful.

"Maybe I'll swing by now," Beth said, jumping up to her feet. She looked at Hershel who watched her suspiciously as she chewed the rest of her food. "You know, have a coffee and a chat before I meet the girls."

Her father nodded at her. "Alright. If you feel dizzy Bethie, make sure you pull over. Call me. I'll come by to pick you up." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver flip-phone that he squinted at.

"Daddy!" Beth exclaimed, pointing at the phone. "You're usin' a cell phone!"

Hershel looked up at her. "'Course I am. I even know how to send a text message," he said proudly.

Beth grinned, her smile hitting her ears and she laughed, in spite of herself, at her father. He looked younger somehow, even though she'd seen him age dramatically over the past two years at the prison before he'd died. When she turned away from him, she saw it - that moment with the Governor, Maggie screaming beside her, the emotion filling up her lungs with rage. But he was here now, alive as could be and Beth thought she was maybe the luckiest girl in the whole world. But why couldn't she enjoy it?

* * *

She'd grabbed her purse before she left the house. A frayed brown bag she'd found at the thrift store one afternoon, shopping with her friends. Her wallet was still inside - a plain fabric clutch with too many pockets that held all kinds of cards, coins and cash. Rifling through it, she found what she'd been looking for - her license. Just a silly piece of plastic she'd gotten on her sixteenth birthday. She looked young in her photo - her blonde hair long and straight, hanging over her shoulders. She'd smiled even though they had told her not to and she looked so naive and happy. Innocent, even. She knew she wasn't that girl anymore. She had changed and adapted. She may have been in a new world with people who didn't remember the things she did, but she hadn't changed a bit. In this world, Beth Greene was a new person.

* * *

Beth wanted to check in with Andrea to cover her ground, just in case Hershel or Annette ever got to talking to her boss about today. Whether it was guilt or anxiety before she made the trip out to Dawsonville, she didn't know.

The coffee shop was down on the main street - easy to find from an overhead sign that read "Andrea's Cafe". When she entered, bells tinkled above the door and a blonde woman looking over the newspaper at the counter, lifted her head and smiled at Beth like she was an old friend.

"Beth!" she said, coming around the small counter and towards her with her arms open. Beth met her, giving her a hug, before she stepped away.

"Hi Andrea," she said, recognizing her instantly. It was her - the woman who had come to the farm with Rick and Daryl. She'd shot Daryl accidentally - Beth remembered the moment well. Hershel had mended his wounds and he'd needed to recover in the guest room. It was the first time she'd really noticed him - large, dirty and angry. Her room had been next to his. The walls were thin in the farmhouse, so she'd heard him talking and thrashing around in his sleep. Mainly about his brother, Merle but sometimes about Sophia. She'd never brought it up to him after that, but she still remembered.

"Want a coffee?" Andrea asked politely, going back around the counter.

Beth waved her hand. "Can't stay long," Beth said. "I've some plans to get to."

Andrea nodded. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," Beth replied. "Just having trouble remembering some things." She looked around the small shop. It smelled like coffee and fresh baked bread - deliciously intoxicating. She could see why she'd taken the job here.

"Well," Andrea smiled at her, "Whenever you're ready to come on back, just let me know. Your job's here waiting."

Beth nodded at her. "Thanks Andrea. I really appreciate it."

Andrea waved her hand at her. "It's no problem." She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "How's Jimmy?"

Beth frowned, remembering her conversation with him from the previous afternoon. "He's fine…" she trailed off, wishing she could change the subject.

"He was pretty tore up over what happened to you," Andrea said. "Poor kid didn't know what to do with himself."

"He _still_ doesn't know what to do with himself," Beth commented before she could catch the words coming out of her mouth. "Won't leave me alone."

Andrea laughed then, her eyes twinkling and Beth realized she held a look of carelessness that she hadn't seen when she had arrived on the farm. "'Course he does, silly," Andrea said as though it were obvious. "That boy wants to marry you!"

Beth gave her an incredulous look, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. "Oh, I don't know about that."

"You wait and see," Andrea said, turning away from her to pour a cup of coffee for herself from a large steaming pot behind her. "He'll be down on one knee in no time."

"I seriously doubt that," Beth muttered under her breath, feeling slightly bad about how she had treated him the day before.

Andrea turned back around, her hands cupping a ceramic mug, now filled with coffee, looking like she didn't have a worry in the world. Beth suddenly hated her for it.

"I better be on my way," she said and Andrea straightened up as she said it. "I'll be in touch soon, about coming back."

"Take as much time as you need," Andrea responded kindly, waving to her. Beth nodded in her direction before she walked towards the door, feeling an overwhelming need to get outside.

The truck was still waiting out front for her. She climbed in clumsily, gripping the steering wheel for a minute. Her cell phone was still lying on the passenger side seat and it vibrated there, the screen telling her that Jimmy was calling again. She stared at it, watching it jump from side to side, Jimmy's name shouting at her in bright white text.

For a minute, she wanted to yell at it, but instead tears welled in her eyes and she didn't understand them. It wasn't like she hadn't loved Jimmy. She had. He'd been her first serious boyfriend, her first real love, her first time with a man. But life had gone on and things had gone to shit and he had died and she'd moved on and forgotten what it had been like.

Finally, the phone stopped buzzing and she clicked it open to get to her GPS, typing in _Dawsonville, GA_ with shaky fingers, glancing at the bandana she'd tied around her wrist. She watched the smartphone as it routed her towards her destination and she thought of Daryl - sitting next to him in that funeral home at the table as they ate together. His face, kind and unsure. Butterflies had escaped her belly and she didn't know what it meant, but she knew that in this moment right now, she missed him and there was nothing more she wanted or needed to do than to find him.


	5. Chapter 5 - You Don't Know How It Feels

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Five - You Don't Know How It Feels

 _A/N: Thank you so much for all of the kind comments and reviews on this story, as well as the follows and favorites. They are extremely appreciated! Please keep them coming - I love reading them! I am having a blast writing this story and think it will get even more interesting from here on out. Hope you are all enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it._

* * *

Beth drove slowly with the windows open, the hot summer air sweeping in through the windows. This world, it _felt_ different. The air was cleaner and fresher, she supposed in part because there weren't millions of dead bodies rotting all across God's green earth. But the freedom that she felt, if only for minutes at a time, was exhilarating. The fear was still with her, it was still real. She was still afraid she might be crazy, but the suffocating feeling that death might be only minutes away - that feeling was gone.

Her fingers toyed with the radio dial until she found a station that suited her, landing on Tom Petty. She smiled to herself. The song was fitting, so she started to sing.

" _People come, people go. Some grow young, some grow cold. I woke up in between a memory and a dream. So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint. Let's head on down the road. There's somewhere I gotta go. And you don't know how it feels. You don't know how it feels…to be me."_

* * *

She passed the sign for Dawsonville on her right and drove a few minutes before her GPS instructed her to turn. She obeyed, flicking on the blinker and turning down the road. The trees she'd been driving past slowly became thinner until she hit the main part of town.

It looked like any other small town she'd ever been in, including her own. She passed a hardware store, a small pharmacy and a few houses too, before she came upon a gas station with red, antique gas pumps that stood at attention. Behind them was a small store with an "OPEN" sign in the window. Beth pulled in, parking the truck away from the pumps and hopping out of the car.

Although the windows were dirty, she saw a body shift inside the store as she came towards the door, pushing it open and slipping inside. There wasn't much to the place, four walls, a counter, a large floor fan and a dated cash register. A man about her father's age with thick eyebrows and a grumpy expression sat behind the counter in a chair, dragging on a cigarette.

"Can I help ya?" he asked, lazily extinguishing the cigarette in an ashtray next to the register.

Beth looked at him apprehensively, took a deep breath, then walked up to the counter, gripping the sides of it with her hands. "I'm lookin' for someone," she said. "Maybe you can help?"

"Who's that?" the man asked her curiously, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Daryl Dixon," she said with confidence, his name feeling familiar on her tongue. "Or Merle," she added as an afterthought.

He pushed back in the chair, crossing his arms and leaning it against the back wall. "Whatcha lookin' for the Dixon brothers for, nice girl like yourself?" he questioned, giving a small laugh. "Don't seem like the company you'd keep."

Beth looked down at her arms, the bandana still secured around her wrist. She knew what people saw when they looked at her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, small frame. A weak, naive, young, fragile girl. She'd been called all of those things at some point in her life. That was who she thought she was, before the turn.

"Got business with Daryl," she said. "We're family."

"Pfft," the man said, "Daryl's the black sheep of that family. Haven't seen him around lately. Merle though, he's still livin' with their old man, Will. Down this road about a mile or so. White trailer, blue shutters, porch out front. You'll find him there." He looked her up and down again. "Best be careful 'round Merle," the man said. "He'll eat you up like Sunday dinner."

Beth nodded. "Thanks. I can handle it."

He shrugged at her, digging into his shirt pocket for a new cigarette that he stuck between his lips. She turned towards the door then, pushing her shoulder into it and stepping back outside.

As she climbed back into the truck, her heart raced in her chest, apprehension rising within her. The thought of seeing Merle again made her nervous, not because she thought he would recognize her, but because she knew how Merle could be.

She shifted the truck in reverse and pulled out from the gas station, heading down the road slowly. The sidewalks were empty and as she went on, the houses turned into trailers which got smaller and more disheveled with overgrown lawns and broken windows. She thought of the house Daryl had taken her to after the country club, realizing that he'd probably _really_ meant that it was exactly like the place he grew up - lawn, garbage and all.

The house the man had described was unmistakable as she came up to it, a lopsided porch out front of a white trailer with dark blue shutters. She pulled the truck up to meet the curb and turned the key to cut the engine. Then, she paused, draping her arms over the steering wheel and looking towards the house, letting out a sigh to try an exhale some of her nerves.

So, this was it. Where the Dixon brothers had lived before the turn. And, she guessed, where they lived now. She thought of her own home, the big white house with acres and acres of grass and what Daryl must have thought pulling up on his motorcycle for the first time to the Greene farm. No wonder he thought she was a spoiled brat. As much as she hated to admit it, this place looked awful.

She stepped out of the truck carefully, coming around to the front of the house. Grass and weeds had taken over the small property, curling around the wood of the porch and house, like it was eating the very structure. There was a small path from the sidewalk to the porch stairs, made only by feet that had crushed the grass down, killing it and turning it brown.

Beth followed it, carefully stepping up the stairs and onto the porch, which she was positive would collapse under her weight. The front door, blue, like the shutters, with paint peeling off in places, was barely hanging on by its hinges. She brought her hand up and knocked as loudly as she could.

She wished she could stop her heart from racing and calm the hell down, but she was anxious and excited all at once. Just because the man at the gas station hadn't seen Daryl for a while didn't mean he couldn't possibly be in there. She stared at the door, waiting for it to open.

It didn't.

Impatient, she knocked again and this time she heard heavy footsteps and loud grumbling as somebody reached the door. She brought her hands back together, intertwining them - waiting.

The door pulled backwards, catching in the door chain that was locked on the other side. A face peered out - eyes squinted - blue and familiar with deep circles underneath. At first glance, she could have sworn it was Daryl, but as the sun poured in from behind her, she realized it must be his father.

Will Dixon had Daryl's eyes, but the rest of him was all Merle. At first glance, his stare was the same as the one she'd known, but the kindness and humanity she'd known behind Daryl's eyes was missing. The man that stood at the door narrowed his eyes at her. "Whatta want?" he spat at her.

She hated him instantly.

"Um," Beth had lost her nerve. "I'm here to see Daryl."

The man coughed, his face disappearing behind the door for a moment, then peered back out. "Daryl?" he grumbled. "He ain't here."

"Well, might I ask where he is?" Beth asked politely.

"Dunno," he replied sounding absolutely inconvenienced.

Beth shifted uncomfortably as he squinted at her. "Well, uh," she hesitated. "Is Merle here?" she asked.

Will Dixon gave a subtle scoff and looked at her - really looked at her, his eyes taking her in. She thought he might say something, ask what she wanted with Daryl or Merle, ask her who she was and what the _hell_ she was doing here, but instead he slammed the door in her face. "MERLE!" she heard him yell from behind the door.

She stared at the door for a minute, giving Will Dixon the finger, and although he couldn't see her, it felt pretty good. Then she heard another scuffle of shoes and the door opened again, only this time, Merle unlocked the chain, letting the door fly wide open.

He stood in front of her, his eyes heavy and glazed, but he was the same Merle she'd known when she had met him at the prison. He had drool caked in the corner of his mouth and when she looked down at the rest of him, she saw he only wore a pair of ratty old boxers.

"Oh," she said with surprise, taking a step backwards on the porch, her eyes averting up towards the sky to avoid eye contact. "Hi Merle."

He leaned against the door in what he must have imagined to be an endearing pose, but he was really just holding himself up against the door frame. She could tell instantly that he was high.

"Well, howdy," he slurred, rubbing his bald head with the palm of his hand. "What'd ya come see old Merle for now?" he asked. "Crank? Coke?" He took a hand and grabbed his balls, shaking them in his underwear. "Blowjob?"

She grimaced, the thought of Merle being naked almost too much for her to stomach. "No," she said sternly, hoping her voice wasn't as shaky as she thought it sounded. "I'm lookin' for Daryl."

"Ahh," Merle breathed at her, "You're lookin' for my baby brother are ya? Well he's the sweet one between the both of us, but he won't give you a good poundin' like 'ol Merle can." He turned to fake hump the doorway.

"Where is he?" Beth asked, ignoring him.

Merle sighed, releasing the frame of the door to turn towards her. "What's got ya so interested? That son'of a bitch finally get himself laid or somethin'? You got a taste of that D and you want somemore?"

"Merle," Beth said seriously. "I need to find him."

He sort of shut up for a moment, his eyes finally looking at her straight. An unwarranted hope rose in her chest - like maybe Merle would remember her in his stupor, but he grinned at her, letting his eyes close. "Dumbass landed himself in the hospital 'bout a week ago," he slurred. "He's up at that fancy hospital all the way in the city."

"Grady Memorial?" Beth asked, sounding more eager than she'd meant to. "In Atlanta?"

"Yeah, yeah," Merle said, waving his hand at her. "That's the one."

She could have hugged him in that moment, maybe if he was wearing more than underwear and maybe if this wasn't the first time he'd thought he'd met her and maybe if he wasn't such a horny dick, but she flashed a smile at him instead. "Thank you," was all she said and she turned on her heels.

"Hey," Merle called after her. "You want some more of that Dixon dick, you come on back around, ya hear?"

"Fuck off Merle," she shouted over her shoulder.

* * *

It was noon when Beth arrived back at the farm and Jimmy was waiting for her. His black pickup was parked in the driveway and he was sitting on the porch, a glass of lemonade in his hands, talking to Shawn.

As she parked the car, she decided that maybe it was time to deal with him. Set him straight. At least let him know that things weren't the same as they had been, at least for Beth. She owed it to him to break it off.

She stepped out of the truck, watching him and his face lit up as their eyes met and he gave her a killer smile. She used to feel butterflies with that smile. Her stomach used to drop, like she was going over the hill of a rollercoaster. She remembered that feeling well. She'd felt it when she'd first noticed Jimmy, her junior year of high school, when he would lean against the locker next to hers, making small talk. She felt it when he'd held her hand for the first time, taken her out on their first date - a movie. The first time he'd kissed her, on those porch stairs, asking her to be his girlfriend. And then again, every time he'd kissed her after that.

He'd told her that he loved her and she'd really felt it then, and soon after the turn when everything had fallen apart and the world felt like it was ending and they'd ended up in bed together and he'd been inside her, clumsily and painfully, in the dark of the night.

And then he'd died.

She'd cried for days, weeks even. Angry and lonely, the hole in her heart feeling so real. But then, worse things had happened. More people had died. The fear and the pain and the terror was overwhelmingly real and she'd kind of shut down for a while. And then Zach came and he'd been a fine distraction, but he hadn't made her _feel_ anything, even when they'd fooled around a few times. She had been numb - to everything.

Then he'd died and Daryl had come to tell her and the numbness eased a little bit. She found things to do to help her get over it and just when she thought things might have been kind of okay, the prison had fallen and she'd run away from it all with only Daryl by her side and realized, as they sat in their makeshift camp, that being numb wasn't even an option anymore.

Everything hit her all at once and she'd found comfort in Daryl Dixon, something she'd never thought possible. The feelings she had, they'd started so small and insignificant, a weird feeling rising in her core when he looked at her, so she ignored it, knowing they were stuck together and might continue to be for a long while. It hadn't been until the funeral home - until they'd been alone and content, their bellies filled with food, that she had felt the butterflies again.

It had been Daryl who'd given them to her. Daryl who had comforted her and made her feel things again. Not Jimmy. Jimmy hadn't made her feel like that for years. The feelings she'd had for him were gone.

* * *

She'd asked him to talk a walk with her around the property, the dirt roads seeming endless and the silence uncomfortable.

"So…" he started awkwardly, as they walked, turning towards her. He wore a straw hat, piece of hay between his teeth, his shirt tucked into his pants, held tight with a large belt buckle. She used to find it endearing - a real southern farm boy to call her own, but now she sort of found it kind of lame.

"We need to talk," she said, turning towards him, but keeping her stare down at her feet.

"'Bout what?" he asked innocently.

"'Bout us, Jimmy."

He stopped in his tracks and she did the same, landing a few feet ahead of him. She felt his eyes on her, but she couldn't bear to look at him. "Beth," he breathed. "What's goin' on?"

"I just, don't think, this is working." She shook her head and looked back at him sadly.

His face had fallen and he looked confused as he processed her words. "Whatta mean it's not working?" He moved towards her, his hand reaching out for her shoulder. She wanted to move away, but instead she let his hand rest there. "Things have been great. Two years together Beth, things have been great. I love you."

She didn't doubt it. It was the way things were supposed to be - the normal way. She'd date him for a while, then they'd get engaged, they'd get married and have a bunch of kids. Buy a house, build a life. But her world was different than his and now, she wanted and maybe needed something different.

"I just, need some time to myself," she said with finality. "For a while."

He was silent for a moment, but then he nodded at her, shoving his hands into his back pockets, looking painfully sad. "Okay Beth," he said slowly. "I won't bother you no more."

She wanted to say something - to comfort him, like he'd comforted her so many times before, but she couldn't find the words. The silence hung in the air before Jimmy turned around, walking back down the dirt road towards his truck. He waved to Shawn who was still on the porch, and climbed into his truck, driving off without a glance in her direction.

She wanted to feel sad, or bad about it, but she didn't. She sort of felt relieved. As she walked slowly back towards the house, she wondered if that made her a terrible person, but realizing she wasn't sure if she particularly cared either way. She only cared about one thing now.

She had to get to Atlanta. She had to get to Daryl.


	6. Chapter 6 - Going Back

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Six - Going Back

 _Author's Note: Wow guys, thanks so much for all of the awesome reviews and the favorites and follows! I'm so excited about this story and what's to come and am thrilled you all are coming along for the ride. Enjoy!_

* * *

The truck was hers.

Maggie had a nice little Mercury Sable and Momma and Daddy had the red Chevrolet and Shawn had the Honda Civic that was on its last legs, and Beth had the truck. It was a 1989 Ford Ranger. The thing was clunky and old but she loved driving it just the same. It was one of those strange things she missed at the prison - driving. And not just driving, but driving _her_ car.

Zach had taken her out a few times in that black souped up Dodge Charger of his to fool around sometimes, but he hadn't offered to let her drive and she hadn't really wanted to anyway. She tried to imagine what he would be doing now, in this world and realized she didn't really remember much about him at all. He'd been in college and played baseball and his favorite band was Nirvana and he had an older sister, but that was all she could seem to remember. The rest of him was floating away.

One thing she'd forgotten about the normal world was how overprotective and nosey everyone in her family had been. She hadn't missed the constant nagging, the questions, the need to check in. But the truck was hers, she'd argued with her mother. And she needed to be away for a while.

"Does this have to do with what happened with Jimmy?" Annette asked her, looking down at her crochet needles that clicked together as she worked on what Beth assumed would soon become a quilt.

Beth groaned inwardly. "How d'ya know about that? It _just_ happened."

Annette's eyes met hers and the corners of her lips curved upwards. "Shawn saw Jimmy drive off looking upset. Just mentioned it in passing." She looked back down at her needles. "Now I know."

Leave it to her mother to be sharp as a whip. She'd been gone for some time now and Beth wasn't used to her antics, but the more time she spent with her, she realized how badly she had missed her. She had spunk and fight and strength, traits that came out of Beth slowly over the past two years. She was all of those things now. Not being threatened by death every moment of every day, she kept needing to remind herself.

"Momma," she started to say shyly, looking at the ground.

"Go," Annette said, not looking up at her. "But be back by nine. Otherwise," she met Beth's eyes now, "Your Daddy will have a fit."

Beth nodded. "Okay Momma, I'll be back," she said. And she meant it.

* * *

The drive to Atlanta was uneventful. Beth knew it well, having gone for day trips with friends and family, always the same route. It was different now though. Everything was different and she wasn't sure how long it would take to grow accustomed to it. She was sort of accepting that this was her new reality. At least for now.

She sat in traffic. It should have been so normal and ordinary, but it wasn't. She was mesmerized by the amount of cars, the amount of people, seeing how easily a large amount of people could have become infected.

The city's skyline was clear in the distance, tall and shiny against a bright blue backdrop, free of clouds. She still had the windows open and the radio on as she slowly moved towards the city. The last recollection she had of driving to Atlanta was flashes of memories in the back of a dark car, her hands and legs tied with rope. She'd woken up, screaming for Daryl and someone had knocked her in the jaw, then in the side of the head and she'd woken up again in the hospital, quite like how she'd woken up a few days ago. It was strange to be going back to the very place she had wanted so badly to run away from.

But Daryl was there. And he'd searched for her hard enough that he found her, against all the odds. He could have left her there, moved on, accepted her fate, but he didn't. He came after her, and she was going to do the same for him.

* * *

She'd parked the truck and walked through the entrance and now she was standing at the hospital reception area, talking to the secretary to try and figure out where she could find Daryl in this massive hospital.

"Name?" the receptionist asked, chewing on a piece of gum.

"Dixon," Beth said desperately. "Daryl Dixon."

The woman's fingers worked at the computer, and she scrolled with her mouse, her eyes darting around the screen. "He's on 7," she said. "Room 712."

Beth nodded, her heart soaring. "Thank you," she muttered, before turning away and heading for the elevator. She pushed the button, her fingers shaking as she did it, bouncing on her heels, the anxiety welling up in her chest making it hard to breathe. The doors opened and she stepped inside, pushing the button next to 7, feeling the mechanism jump to bring her up.

She wasn't a fan of elevators, especially after scaling down one with Noah and pushing another person down an elevator shaft to their death, so she decided not to think of it too much as the floor numbers changed with pleasant little dings. The seventh floor came quickly and when she stepped out she made a mental note to take the stairs down when she left.

The hallway was no different than any others she'd seen in this hospital, both in the new world and the old. Linoleum floors, white walls, heavy wooden doors - some open and some closed. The floor was buzzing with movement, nurses and doctors passing each other, looking over clipboards, computer screens and wheeling patients down the hall.

The doors were labeled with sleek metal signs - the one to her left reading 724. She walked slowly towards the end of the hall, until she came upon 712, staring at the closed door apprehensively, clutching the strap of her purse in her hands. She mindlessly tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ears, feeling foolish, like Daryl would give a crap about what her hair looked like.

She tried to prepare herself for whatever expression his face might hold when he'd see her - confusion or recognition - knowing she wasn't prepared for either option.

"Come on," she said to herself, under her breath, trying to drum up some courage as she stepped forward to turn the handle on the door.

The room was plain - nothing special about it. The shade was drawn, same clock up on the wall, ticking tirelessly. In the bed was a body, laid flat, the person's chest moving up and down slowly. There were all sorts of wires and tubes and poles and buzzing and beeping, so she came to the other side of the bed, her heart beating rapidly.

It was him. It was Daryl. And he was quite obviously asleep.

He was unmistakable - though his hair was much shorter and his beard not as scruffy, much like how she had first met him on the farm. His square jaw was unclenched, his lips pink, plump and unmoving. His eyes were closed, with soft lines in the skin beneath them. The left side of his face was bruised, the spots a deep purple, high on his cheekbone, then again towards his chin.

She stared at him, wishing he would wake up so she could ask him everything that had been running through her mind in the past few days, but he just laid there, still, breathing in sync with the machines. He looked helpless and lonely, wrapped up in a flimsy hospital blanket. The gown they had given him barely fit over his large chest and she almost laughed to herself, thinking how ridiculous he would think it was.

Feeling awkward, she grasped for his hand, but noticed as she looked down that his arm was filled with all sorts of tubes, bruised in places, likely from doctor's taking blood from him.

"Daryl?" she whispered to him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "It's Beth." She hesitated. "I found you."

Her voice felt foreign to her own ears and she felt dumb, talking to him like this, a man who might not even remember who she was. He couldn't respond or look at her or give her any kind of indication that he even wanted her here, but she couldn't leave. She didn't want to.

There was a chair nearby, so she pulled it closer to the bed, pushing it up to the side and getting into it, pulling her knees to her chest and sat there, just looking at him. Watching him. He wasn't doing anything, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Can I help you?" A voice rang out in the small room and Beth looked up to see a doctor, this time an older woman with silver hair, tied back into a low ponytail. She still wasn't thrilled with the idea of anyone showing authority in a hospital, but she smiled at her just the same.

"Sorry," Beth said, bringing her legs down to meet the floor. "Just wanted to see my friend." She reached for her purse she'd discarded on the floor.

"No," the doctor shook her head. "I'm glad you're here."

"You are?" Beth asked, surprised.

She nodded, her gaze shifting to Daryl. "First visitor this poor guy's had. Family we've found won't answer my calls. Wasn't sure what to do. It'll be good to have someone here when…"

"Is he gonna die!?" Beth shrieked, cutting her off, feeling hysterical.

"Oh God no," the doctor said, putting her hands out, trying to calm her. "But he may need surgery."

Beth let out a breath. "Oh," she paused, looking up at the doctor sheepishly. "Sorry."

The doctor smiled at her. "It's okay. I'd just rather someone be here for him after it happens. It'll be good to have a friendly face while he recovers."

Beth's face fell, unsure how friendly her face might be to Daryl. He might not remember her. He might not even want her here. She nodded as enthusiastically as she could, glancing at the doctor. "Of course," she said. "When's the surgery?"

"Tomorrow night," the doctor replied, "five o'clock." She looked at Daryl sadly. "We're weaning him off the barbiturates, so I'm not sure when he'll wake up. You're welcome to stay though," she nodded at Beth, "Visiting hours end at eight."

"Thanks," Beth said, glancing at Daryl again. "I'll stay as long as I can."

And she did.

She sang for him, talked to him, tucked the blankets in around him, but he didn't wake up. She paced the room, cursed at Merle and Will Dixon for not showing up for him, refilled his water and the pitcher beside it and even stole some Saltines and Jell-O for him in case he woke up and was hungry. But she didn't know what else to do, and when the clock ticked past eight, she gripped the side of the bed, still staring at him, afraid to leave.

The doctor came back in a few minutes later, looking at her sadly. "I'm so sorry," she said slowly. "But, visiting hours are over. Will I see you tomorrow, Beth?"

And Beth nodded at her, taking one last long look at Daryl, lying there so fucking helpless with his wires and his machines, and left the room, darting down the stairs, finding her truck in the parking garage and pulling out towards the highway to drive back home.

* * *

Maggie was on the porch when Beth returned home, her hair held back with a headband and a grin spread across her face. She sat in the rocking chair, her fingers moving wildly across the screen of her smartphone.

Beth hopped out of the truck, moving up the stairs towards her sister who barely looked up at her. She sat on the railing of the porch for a minute, looking at Maggie who was completely engrossed in her phone. She thought of her own phone in her purse, remembering that she missed the stupid device so badly after they'd lost power. And now, she couldn't care less about it.

"How was your date?" Beth asked, breaking the silence.

Maggie grinned, finally looking up at her sister with a dreamy look on her face. "It was fun," she said slowly. "I think I really like him. Glenn."

Beth smiled, trying to ingest her happiness. "Good for you Mags," she said.

Maggie frowned at her, her eyes studying Beth's figure on the railing. "Heard something happened with Jimmy. Wanna talk about it?"

Beth raised an eyebrow at her, cursing Shawn in her head. "Ugh," she said. "Not really."

"You sure?"

"You wouldn't understand," Beth said.

"I would," Maggie urged. "Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about break ups." She paused then and quickly added, "And make ups. If that's what you want."

"Not sure what I want," Beth said quietly.

"You gotta do what makes you happy Bethie," Maggie said, looking down at her phone again. "It's like Daddy says - The only thing you can choose is what you're risking your life for."

Beth nodded, remembering his words, but something about them just didn't sit right. Didn't really make sense. The confusion settled and then she realized, that wasn't something Daddy always said. That was something Daddy had said _after_ the turn. At the prison. In the world with the dead.

"Maggie?" Beth asked, her hair standing up on end. "When did Daddy say that?" she asked, choosing her words carefully.

Maggie shrugged casually, standing up from where she sat. "You know," she said, waving her hand like she was shooing Beth away. "Just one of those things he always says." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips and looking at her sister. "Whatever happened, Jimmy will understand. I'm sure it will all work out."

She left then, walking through the front door, the screen door slamming behind her, leaving Beth on the railing with her mouth slightly open.

Torn between the possibility of losing her mind, wanting to yell at Maggie for saying what she said and not remembering more, and having to figure out a way back to Daryl tomorrow, Beth was exhausted. All she really wanted to do was tear out her hair and scream at Maggie until she remembered something else, but instead she went to her room, brushed her hair and fell asleep, Daryl's bandana still tied around her wrist.

* * *

It was two in the morning and the sky was dark, but the hospital was alive with noises when Daryl Dixon woke, gasping desperately for a breath.


	7. Chapter 7 - Found

**Don** **'t You Remember?**

Chapter Seven - Found

 _Author's Note: Thank you again to all of you who are reading, following, favoriting and leaving reviews! I'm thrilled you all are liking the story so far and look forward to hearing what you think about this chapter too! I did have someone ask if I follow a posting schedule and I wanted to say that I probably won't post chapters during the week (if I do it will be very rare!) but I will aim to post one each weekend. Sorry there will be a weekly gap between chapters, but I don't have too much time during the week to write and I want to make sure each chapter is where I want it to be before I post. Hopefully that answers your question! THANK YOU again for all of your support and, enjoy!_

* * *

Her job was the perfect excuse to get to Atlanta without any questions.

She climbed out of bed late in the morning, slipping into the bathroom to brush her teeth and braid her hair loosely down her back. She'd found what she presumed to be Maggie's mascara in the medicine cabinet and tried it on in the mirror. As she batted her eyelashes, staring at herself, she thought it might be too much. Someone might notice it. Someone might notice her.

She had to remind herself that mascara was normal and nobody was going to care or even notice in the slightest that she'd put a touch of makeup on before she'd left the house. In fact, they might think it was weird if she didn't. She'd been conditioned to take and use only the things that were necessary in the world she'd come from.

Beth had to admit that it felt kind of good, a little normal, putting on some makeup, so she left it on, admiring her own eyes in the mirror. She got dressed quickly, her last touch being Daryl's bandana tied around her wrist. It reminded her that she wasn't as crazy as she felt.

The house was empty and quiet when she came down to the kitchen, which she was happy for. Beth fumbled through the cabinets, finding a box of cereal and a bowl. The fridge held real, fresh milk from the cows out back so she poured it generously into her bowl and sat at the table to eat. It was all so very normal.

Outside, through the window, Shawn and Hershel were working near the chicken coop. She noticed in the driveway that Maggie's car was gone and remembered that she had mentioned going to the market in the morning with Annette the day before.

Good. It would be easier to convince her father and brother that she needed to get to work quickly and not be bothered.

Finishing her breakfast, she checked her phone absentmindedly. Jimmy had texted her a few times, which she'd ignored, annoyed that he had told her that he would leave her alone and wasn't. She'd also received a bunch of texts from her old friends - people she hadn't thought of in years. She supposed it was nice they were thinking of her, but she wasn't sure how to respond. She wasn't even sure she remembered some of these people.

Once her belly was filled, she washed her bowl and spoon in the sink and went to the front door. She mulled over how she thought the conversation should go with Hershel and Shawn - she was going to work and wouldn't be home until later and to please not visit her on her first week back so she could get into her old routine again. Sounded good enough to her - she just hoped they wouldn't question it.

Determined, she pushed the screen door open, ready to stride out into the field, but was instead met by a gaggle of giggling girls climbing up the porch stairs.

There were four of them, all tall and lanky with shorts and tank tops on, huddling around her like a fucking herd. She'd known all of them in school and they were fine friends then, but now she'd have given anything to shrink away. She stared at all of them, their faces swimming in old memories of people she'd forgotten about after things had gone to shit and she'd assumed everyone she knew was dead.

"Oh Beth!" A red-haired, fair-skinned, freckled girl named Grace threw her arms around her neck. "How are you feeling?" she gasped at her. "We heard about what happened with Jimmy!"

Beth broke the embrace and took a step backwards, staring at the four girls, each of them looking equally as concerned about her recent breakup. It seemed so insignificant and small to Beth, but she guessed, in this world, especially in this town, it was somewhat of a scandal. Beth Greene had broken up with her boyfriend of two years.

"I'm fine," Beth mumbled at them, annoyed that they were getting in the way of her getting back to the hospital.

"Aw Beth," a skinny brunette named Amber looked at her with an exaggerated frown, like she had no idea what she was talking about. "You sure? You can talk to us."

"We're here for you," a dark-haired Asian girl said, nodding reassuringly.

Beth glared at them, annoyed they'd just decided to show up on her front porch, completely uninvited. "Uh thanks, but I'm fine," she said sternly. "Things weren't workin', that's all."

"But things had been going so well!" a curly haired blonde whined at her, her hands on her hips. "He was gettin' ready to propose to you!"

Marry Jimmy? She almost laughed out loud. He wasn't someone she could see herself spending more than an hour with now, let alone the rest of her life. "Yeah well, maybe I don't wanna marry him!" Beth said angrily, throwing her hands in the air. "Now if you'll excuse me and start minding some of your own business, I got somewhere to be."

The girls looked slightly taken aback, unsure of how to answer and Beth suddenly remembered why she had so quickly forgotten her group of friends. She had always been the fragile one. The innocent one. Always been the one who didn't know any better. She didn't drink or smoke or have a tattoo. She didn't take risks and she definitely had never stood up for herself like this.

But now she knew better. She wasn't weak and she certainly wasn't going to take any shit from anyone. She didn't have to anymore. She didn't need to be bothered by a bunch of nosey teenage girls. "Thanks for coming," she said, as nicely as she could, stepping through the crowd of them and down the stairs of the porch. "But I'll be going now."

They watched her as she passed them, their mouths slightly open, as she stomped across the lawn, a little bit taller now, to tell Hershel and Shawn that she was on her way to a job she wasn't really going to. Then, she slid into her truck, turning up her radio and drove her way through town and towards Atlanta, more ready than ever to see Daryl, whether he remembered her or not.

What she didn't know was that there was a black pickup truck parked in town, next to the cafe, waiting for her. What she didn't know was that Jimmy saw her truck speed past - the familiar truck he'd come to know over the years - the sound of it recognizable before he even saw it in his mirror. What she didn't know was that he pulled his truck into drive, and followed her, slowly, down the road and onto the highway.

* * *

Beth climbed the stairs up to the seventh floor, not minding the journey at all this time. Elevators were going to take her a while to get used to again. She was breathing heavily as she reached the top, surprised she was so winded after what seemed like ages of running from walkers. Again, she reminded herself, this was all new. Her body wasn't the same, her scars had proven that.

The floor was buzzing, as it had been when she left the hospital the night before. The space was crowded with people - nurses, doctors and patients. She practically flew to Daryl's room, much more eager than yesterday, knowing where he was. The anxiety had settled in her chest and when she reached the already open door she hesitated for just a minute before she wandered in.

The room was just how she'd left it, the chair still up against the bed, but the bed now, was empty. It was evident the moment she came into the room.

Beth peeked her head into the small bathroom that accompanied the room, but that was empty too. She came back around and kicked the end of the hospital bed in frustration, sending a searing pain through her calf. The clock indicated that it was only one o'clock - there was no way they would have taken Daryl to surgery this early.

All she had wanted was to see him. She'd been ready. Or as ready as she was ever going to be, but he was gone and she was frustrated and Maggie had remembered something last night and Beth needed to know if she was the only one. The bandana was still around her wrist, and she tore it off and threw it on the floor with a grunt she hadn't anticipated.

And then, in the doorway, there was the doctor she'd seen the day before and Daryl, wide awake, his head cocked to the side, sitting in a wheelchair, still dressed in his ridiculous hospital gown with a blanket covering his legs. His eyes were narrowed, like he was squinting at her. Like he wasn't really sure if she was there.

Beth took him in, studying his features - his hair, cut haphazardly, fluffed up to the side, like he'd run his hand through it and it had stuck in place. His eyes were electric blue, kind and curious, staring through her, though she couldn't determine yet if they remembered her. There wasn't a smile or a frown on his face, just a plain look about him, but it was him. Daryl Dixon. In the flesh.

Tears came, hot and heavy and her legs just sort of gave out from under her. She hadn't cried like this since Daddy died, in the old world. The linoleum was cold and unforgiving underneath her and she sobbed in heaves, the world spinning around her, dark and confusing, until she felt arms at her shoulders. They were heavy and strong, gripping her as she tried to catch her breath.

"Beth." He said her name hesitantly and breathlessly and she looked up at him, her stomach doing all sorts of flips and turns - her anxiety rearing its ugly head in her chest, pressing down on her lungs uncomfortably so that she was forced to take in short breaths. He was examining her, every inch of the wet and swollen skin on her face, like he was trying to memorize her details and she was suddenly aware of the stupid mascara that she'd put on that morning and how it was probably all over her face - big black streams of tears, gathering at her chin.

But he didn't look disgusted or put off - there was the hint of a smile behind his eyes, something she'd seen only a few times before. His fingers were gripping her shoulders, releasing them, then grabbing on again, like he was afraid she'd disappear.

He held out his fist to her and at first she didn't understand, but when he turned his hand over, opening his palm, he revealed a piece of jewelry she'd long since forgotten about.

Her necklace.

Two silver hearts, threaded through a frayed brown thread, tied together in places, barely hanging on. She stared at it hard - the dirty, broken thing - it was something she'd tried so hard to find beauty in at the prison. It looked so small and frail and unimportant now, in Daryl's hand, but when she looked up at him, watching the way he stared at the necklace, then back at Beth, she thought it meant to him what his bandana had meant to her.

He was hurt and needed surgery and had just gotten out of a wheelchair, but she leapt towards him anyway, wrapping her arms around him as gently as she could muster, still heaving with the aftershocks of her hysteria on the floor. "Do you remember?" she whispered.

"I remember."

* * *

She was in the chair. Somehow she had scrambled into it as the doctor had helped Daryl off the floor and into the bed. He swatted her away - he didn't want the help. He never did. He laid in the bed, looking angrily at the silver-haired doctor who hooked him back up to his IV. She glanced between the two of them, her lips together in a straight line, like she wanted to say something, but had decided against it.

"Surgery's scheduled for five," the doctor said casually, situating the IV bag on its pole, "I'll send a nurse in to get you ready around four o'clock." She nodded at the two of them before she exited the room.

Beth stared at Daryl and Daryl stared at Beth, the silence hanging heavy in the air between them for a minute. But Beth's head was spinning - it had been for days now, so she started talking quickly, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, escaping down the sides of her face. "But how? You're here? And you remember? But nobody else remembers. I was home. I saw Maggie, my Daddy, my Momma, Shawn, Jimmy - everyone's alive, nobody remembers a thing. I woke up here a few days ago and," she reached for the bandana she had grabbed off of the floor as she got to the chair and held it out to him, "then I found this and I knew I had to find you. I went to see Merle and your dad…"

"You saw Merle and my dad?" Daryl growled, interrupting her, his eyes widening. "They're alive?"

Beth's breath caught in her throat and she realized she hadn't thought before she'd spoken. Daryl had just woken up - he didn't know anything about the world they were in. Telling Daryl that Merle and his father were still alive was probably not the best way to open the conversation.

He shook his head, looking down at his hands, the necklace still gripped tightly between his fingers. His mouth was sort of open as she watched him try to find words.

"Daryl," she said slowly, leaning forward off the chair, towards his bed.

"But you died," he said slowly, his eyes coming up to meet hers.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"You died. I…" he hesitated, "I buried you." His face fell then, partially confused, partially sad, a frown tugging at his lips and she thought for a moment that he might cry, like he had at the house after the prison had fallen, but he didn't. He put his face in his hands and rubbed his palms over his cheeks instead. "This isn't real," he whispered to himself, sounding slightly terrified. His eyes flicked over towards Beth. "It can't be real."

She nodded, understanding. "I know," she said and not knowing how else to prove it to him, she grabbed the remote that was attached to the hospital bed, flipping on the television that hung in the corner of the room. "Look," she said, flipping through the channels - a news station, the weather, a baseball game, the stock market, "It's all real. It's all working. Everything's how it was…before."

"They told me I was in an accident," Daryl explained to her, staring at the TV in the distance. "With Merle. Told me the driver fled the scene. Merle probably stumbled his ass home. Our car crashed into someone else's, they're telling me it was a young woman." He looked her over again. "What happened to you?"

"My car was totaled. Crashed into by a drunk, they said." She frowned to herself. "Maggie and Daddy didn't tell me much. Just that everything would be okay." Sighing, she turned towards him again. "Think it was the same accident?"

"It's the only thing that would make sense right now," he muttered.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Beth asked.

Daryl shook his head at her. "You don't wanna know."

"I wanna know everything," Beth said seriously. "I wanna know what happened - why nobody remembers. Why you remember. Why things are back to normal now. Where everyone else is…" she trailed off, looking at him, but he wasn't giving her much. He seemed to have shut down, back to his old quiet self.

"I don't know Beth," Daryl replied quietly. "Don't know how it's all possible. If it is even possible. If you're even real."

She reached for him then, her slender fingers, wrapping around his forearm with a small squeeze, to remind him that she was here - and that she was real.

"But I _buried_ you," he whispered, looking at her fingers, his eyes following her skin up her arms, to her shoulders and back to her face. "You were dead."

"I'm _here_ Daryl," she said, gripping him firmly. "Alive." He stared at her for a while, looking back at her hands, then at her face, back down to her hands, bringing his other arm over to touch her fingers. He let his hand hover over hers, before pressing down gently with the pads of his fingers, feeling her skin so gently, he almost wasn't touching her at all.

She let him explore the skin on her hand - gently touching her knuckles, sliding his fingers down the front of hers. It was strangely intimate, like he was a child exploring something for the first time. She knew he needed to touch her. He needed to know she was real.

"You saw Merle and my Dad?" Daryl asked again curiously, pulling his hands away. She released her grip on him and sat back in the chair.

"I thought you might be there," she said, nodding nervously. "I needed to find you."

"They in Dawsonville still?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers. "The old trailer?"

"Yeah."

He let out a quick breath. "You shouldn't've gone there," he growled at her. "It's a piece a shit."

"I needed to find you," she said again. His face hadn't changed and he broke his glance, looking down again at his hands. Was he avoiding her? Was he mad at her? She couldn't tell. "Daryl." She said his name again, unsure of how to continue.

There was a knock at the door then, and the silver-haired doctor stuck her head inside the room. "Beth," she said slowly. "There's someone here for you?"

Beth looked at her, confused, wondering who on earth could know she was at the hospital. She broke into a hot sweat, thinking maybe Hershel or Shawn had figured out she wasn't at work and had followed her here. Or maybe, even more hopefully, someone else from their group had noticed that Beth and Daryl were together again and they remembered too.

She stood up. "I'll be right back," she said to Daryl and he nodded without really looking at her. She went towards the door where the doctor still stood, holding it open for her and as she stepped into the hallway, she recognized him instantly.

Jimmy. Standing in the middle of the hallway, his hands in his pockets.

"Beth?" he said, his eyes filled with tears. "How could you?"


	8. Chapter 8 - Not What It Seems

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Eight - Not What It Seems

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Okay, I lied. It's Monday and I'm posting a chapter. But I was able to finish two chapters this weekend because I have an extra day off from work. Woo hoo! As always, thanks for the follows, favorites, reviews and all of the support on this fic! I'm having such a blast writing it and hope it continues to be enjoyable to read for everyone._

 _I do want to note that this will be a primarily non ZA fic, although I'm not going to make any promises. Also, I do want this to be told mostly from Beth's POV, but I may stick in Daryl's POV (and other characters too) here and there, though most likely they won't be full chapters - just bits and pieces._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

"Jimmy."

She said his name angrily, malice on her tongue, knowing that he must have followed her here. He was visibly upset, trying to hold tears back, looking at her pitifully.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked her, like he had a right to know.

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I might ask you the same question."

Jimmy took a step forward towards her, looking crushed. "I asked the doctor if she'd seen you and she said," he paused, trying to compose himself somewhat, "you were here visiting a man."

Beth wanted to roll her eyes at him.

"A _man_ , Beth?" he said fiercely. "So you were cheatin' on me? That's why you broke up with me? Left after two years? For some _man_?"

"No," Beth said, shaking her head, furious at him. "You don't understand."

"I think I understand completely," Jimmy snarled at her. "And I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind."

And before she could stop him or comprehend what Jimmy intended to do, he stormed past her, through the door and into Daryl's room. She raced after him, feeling sick and frantic, her eyes falling upon Jimmy standing at the edge of Daryl's bed, hands gripping the raised foot of it, glaring at him, his face screwed up in an ugly sneer.

Daryl stared at Jimmy, his eyes narrowed, but not angry. He looked more curious than anything, like he was wondering what Jimmy was about to do. As she entered the room, Daryl turned to acknowledge her.

"Jimmy," Beth said softly.

"No," he said, holding up a hand to her, his stare not wavering from Daryl. "I can't fucking believe you Beth." He looked Daryl up and down - his large body, lying in the bed. "And you," he barked at Daryl. "What kind of _old_ man takes advantage of a beautiful girl like Beth? She's only eighteen!" he all but screamed at him.

Daryl almost looked like he might laugh, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he took Jimmy in. "Back down," he grumbled. "You're outta line."

"You're lucky you're lyin' in that bed right now," Jimmy threatened. "You know you ruined two great years I had with Beth? I wanted to marry her!" he cried, the emotion coming back strong. His gaze wandered to Beth longingly. "I wanted to marry you."

Beth shook her head at him. "Stop this, Jimmy," she said. "Daryl's got nothin' to do with us breakin' up. You gotta stop."

"No," he growled, looking at Daryl, then back towards her. "You gotta stop. This ain't right." He sighed. "I can forgive you for this." He looked at her, like it was a great proposition. "We can make this go away."

"Forgive me for what Jimmy?" Beth exclaimed, throwing her hands in front of her in frustration. "I didn't do nothin' but break up with you! I'm sorry, but I can't be with you - especially not after all this."

"Just come home with me. Things will go back to how they were - just you and me. Come back to me Beth. Please?" He might as well have gotten on his knees then, but she felt nothing but annoyance as she listened to him. Didn't he realize what a pitiful fool he was being?

"I told you it was over," Beth said sternly, staring at him.

"What's your daddy gonna think Beth, huh?" Jimmy yelled at her. "He'll lose his mind if he knew you were sneakin' around with some grown man behind everyone's backs. Lyin' to everyone. Doin' God knows what with some guy."

"I wasn't lyin' or sneakin' around with anyone. And you don't _know_ Daryl. He's not just _some guy_ ," Beth tried to explain, but Jimmy wasn't interested in listening to her.

"Just come back home," Jimmy was trying to reason with her. "We'll forget any of this ever happened. Hershel and Annette, they don't gotta know. We can have a big wedding on the farm, like you always dreamed of. Please?"

"I don't love you!" she screamed at him suddenly, the annoyance coming to a head. Her voice sounded shrill, echoing in the small room.

"You don't mean that," Jimmy said in a flat voice, looking at the floor. "I know you don't."

"She _said_ it was over." Daryl's low voice broke though the air and Beth turned to look him, grateful for the support. He was glaring at Jimmy, obviously annoyed. "I think she made it pretty clear, man."

"Who asked you?" Jimmy barked at him. "You don't know nothin'."

"I know Beth," Daryl said steadily, eyeing Jimmy. "And I know she means what she says."

Whether Jimmy needed to hear it from someone else, or finally hear Beth's confirmation that she didn't love him anymore, Beth wasn't sure, but he left then, pushing past Beth, bumping his shoulder into hers, and exited through the door without another word. Beth stared at Daryl, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry." She went towards the chair next to the bed again. "I had no idea he followed me here. He's been really…needy, since I woke up."

"That's a nice way of puttin' it," Daryl grunted, giving her the smallest hint of a smile. "You better beat him home though. Make sure that idiot don't tell Hershel anythin' he don't wanna hear. Don't want any trouble with your old man. 'specially while we figure out what's goin' on."

"But, your surgery."

Daryl waved his hand at her. "I'll be fine. Just leave me a way to get in touch with you."

She sighed, wanting to stay, but knowing he was right. If she was stuck here, in this world for a while, she definitely wanted Daryl to stay on Hershel's good side. The farm was the only place she had to stay.

"Here," Beth said, pulling out an old receipt and a pen from her purse, scribbling _Beth Greene: 404-234-5475_. "It's my cell. Call me when the surgery is over, okay?" she said, shoving it into his hands.

He looked at the paper, the corners of his mouth turning upwards. "You wrote your name," he said, looking up at her. "What'd you think I'd forget it?"

She shrugged, feeling slightly silly. "Just…call me when you're done. I want to know you're okay." Really, she wanted to make sure he'd still remember.

He nodded at her and folded up the crumpled receipt carefully, keeping it held tightly in his fist. She didn't know what else to do then, so she leaned forward towards the bed and awkwardly grabbed his shoulders to hug him. She felt his hands at her back and she relaxed slightly, breathing in his scent. There was a hint of soap, but he still smelled like Daryl - outdoorsy, fresh and masculine.

Beth lingered for a moment, turning her face towards his and planted her lips on his whiskered cheek for only a moment, pulling away quickly. She steadied herself on her feet, then smiled at Daryl who looked a little stunned. "As soon as you wake up," she reminded him.

"I'll call you," he said with a nod. "Promise."

"Bye Daryl."

"It'll be fine Beth," he responded, sensing her nervousness. "We'll figure it out."

She nodded at him, knowing he meant his words and left, darting down the hall, towards the stairs. But before she could reach the door, a familiar cry made her stop dead in her tracks. She knew that cry - knew exactly who it was from, what it meant and how to soothe it.

Beth turned, looking to her left at a waiting room. In a wooden chair sat Lori Grimes, sobbing, with Judith crying in her arms.

Knowing she didn't have the time to spare, she let a gasp escape her throat, forced her gaze away and tried to readjust her focus. Her steps towards the stairs were heavy - it was killing her to leave them behind and not ask Lori _something_ , but she needed to concentrate on getting back before Jimmy, so she ran down the stairs and back to the truck, Judith's cry ringing in her ears.

* * *

Beth spent the rest of the afternoon on the porch, waiting for Jimmy to pull up to the Greene house, angrily skidding to a stop, rushing past her and telling Hershel and Annette and Maggie and Shawn that she had lied about going to work today and instead had been visiting Daryl in the hospital.

But he didn't show up.

She expected Jimmy to have told the whole world by now that he thought Beth had been cheating on him, but she received no messages that indicated he'd said a word. Maybe Daryl had scared him? Maybe he was too heartbroken to form a sentence? Whatever the case, she was grateful, and knowing that Jimmy was relatively harmless, she was pretty positive he was just cooling off at home. Still, she waited until the sun disappeared in the distance, checking her phone every so often for any sign of life from him or Daryl.

Annette finally called her in for dinner - fresh breaded chicken with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed carrots, and she sat and ate hurriedly at the table, surrounded by her family. She should have been talking to them, asking them a million different questions, trying to figure out more about this world and if anyone remembered anything like Maggie might have, but her thoughts were elsewhere. In fact, they were lingering on the moment she'd leaned in towards Daryl - his scent. He'd smelled so good - intoxicating almost. She couldn't stop thinking about it - about him, despite her best intentions not to.

"How was your first day back to work, Bethie?" Hershel asked as he chewed on a carrot.

Beth looked up, her eyes wide, thoughts fading, looking slightly surprised. "Uh, it was fine," she said in what she hoped was a casual tone, her heartbeat picking up pace.

"Good," he answered, nodding thoughtfully, before rounding on her older sister. "Maggie?"

Maggie's glance was underneath the table at the phone between her hands and she looked up, her gaze even more surprised than Beth's. "Yeah?" she asked.

"You haven't touched your dinner," Hershel noticed.

Maggie looked at her plate, hastily grabbing her fork and sticking it into her potatoes.

Hershel stared at her knowingly as she tried to shovel the food into her mouth. "I'm thinkin' you should invite that boy you've been seein' around for dinner so we can all meet him."

Maggie's cheeks flushed instantly and Beth heard her phone clatter to the floor underneath the table. She ducked underneath the piece of furniture to grab it. When her head popped up again, she looked back at her plate. "Yes Daddy," she said.

"Good." Hershel took a sip of milk. "Wonderful supper honey," he said quietly towards Annette.

Suddenly, Beth's cell phone lit up, vibrating wildly on the table, the number, one she didn't recognize. It was Daryl. It had to be.

"May I be excused?" Beth said desperately, her eyes on her father.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's Andrea," she lied. "Think she wants to give me my schedule for the week."

Her mother waved her off and Beth nodded at her gratefully, unlocking the phone, and going up the stairs towards her bedroom. "Hello?" she said quietly into the receiver.

"Beth?" Daryl's voice was gruff, instantly recognizable. Her shoulders relaxed the minute she heard him.

"Hi," she breathed into the phone, making it to her room and closing the door behind her, her back against it as she held the cell phone to her ear. "It's me. How are you?" It was the weirdest thing, talking to Daryl on her cell phone.

"Fine," he grumbled on the other end. "Surgery went good. Said I'd be able to get outta here this week."

"Good, "she said, smiling. "I'm glad you called. I was worried…"

"I might not remember?" He finished her thought. "Well I do. Nothin's changed. Couldn't forget ya if I tried."

Her heart did a flip in her chest.

"This your cell phone?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yeah. Save my number. What happened with Jimmy?" he continued.

"Nothing. He didn't show up," she responded, trying to steady her breath. Save Daryl Dixon's number. In her phone. Her nerves were getting to her and she hated the feeling. This was _Daryl_ for god's sake.

"Good," she could almost hear him nod. "Was worried I might need to give an ass whoopin' once I got outta this joint."

She gave out a small chuckle. "No," she said. "Not yet at least. Listen…" she said slowly. "I saw Lori Grimes before I left the hospital. She was holding Judith."

There was silence on the other end, though she could still hear his breathing. "Did you talk to her?" Daryl asked.

"No," Beth answered. "Was worried about gettin' home to make sure Jimmy didn't do anything dumb. She was on your floor though - cryin' over somethin'." She chewed on her lip, trying to get the right words out. "I saw Glenn too, the other night. Came right up to our door to deliver us pizzas. He looked right at Maggie like he'd never seen her before. And Andrea." She knew the words were rolling out of her mouth faster than she could catch them, "Apparently she's my boss at the cafe in town."

"And nobody remembers anythin'?" Daryl asked.

"Maggie said something to me - something my daddy said at the prison. Somethin' I don't remember him sayin' before the turn. Maybe it was nothin' but maybe…" she trailed off.

"You think she remembers?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Beth?" She heard Maggie yell her name from the bottom of the stairs.

"Shit," Beth hissed into the phone. "I gotta go."

"You gonna come tomorrow?" Daryl asked, followed quickly by, "You don't gotta."

"Yes. I'll figure out a way to get there."

"Don't get caught," he said. "And leave that farm boy home where he belongs."

"Ha," she said sarcastically. "I'll do my best. Text me, if you need anything." Daryl was silent and Beth suddenly wondered if Daryl even knew _how_ to text, the thought of him typing a message on a smartphone with a crossbow strapped to his back completely comical to her.

"Okay," he said, sounding unperturbed by the offer.

"See you tomorrow," she said and ended the call, shoving the cell phone hastily into the back pocket of her jeans, flying out the door and down the stairs.

* * *

Annette had made her blueberry cobbler which was better than Beth ever remembered it being, the dessert feeling savory in her mouth as she inhaled her plate. The night was normal - a typical evening on the Greene farm and Beth tried to relish in the details, memorizing the little moments between her family members.

Maggie was at the sink, washing dishes, humming as she lathered up the plates, handing them to Beth as she wiped them and placed them on the rack to dry. Annette was folding laundry down the hall, the smell of fresh linens traveling down the corridor. Shawn and Hershel were watching the nightly news in the family room, talking about the day ahead on the farm.

"How's Glenn feel about comin' for dinner?" Beth asked Maggie with a grin.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "How do Momma and Daddy know _everything_?" she whined.

Beth let out a laugh. "That's their job, I guess."

Maggie laughed too, looking at Beth endearingly. "I guess as long as you don't freak him out again, it'll be okay." She nudged her with her shoulder, showing that she was only joking.

"I promise, I won't."

They finished the dishes and both girls walked up the stairs to their separate rooms to retire for the evening. Beth was falling into a routine even though it had only been a few days in this world. It was starting to become normal. Being able to brush her teeth and comb her hair and change into fresh pajamas every night before bed was something she appreciated so much more now.

She turned her light out, shrouding her room in darkness, spare the moonlight shining through her window, and went to lay down. As her body met the bed, her cell phone vibrated on the desk where she'd left it. So she stood and went over to it, a single text message popping up.

 _ **Daryl Dixon:**_

 _U awake?_

She smiled, feeling her grin reach her ears as she stared at the phone, feeling like a little girl who had just gotten asked to the dance by her crush. It was a dumb feeling - it made her feel her age, but she couldn't help herself as she brought the phone to bed with her, opening the message to respond back.

 _ **About to get into bed. What's up?**_

She sent it, watching the little blue bubble pop up with her response. Instantly, she saw that he was typing back. Her heart was racing and she felt ridiculous.

 _Can't sleep._

Daryl wasn't much of a talker to begin with, so she supposed she shouldn't be surprised in his text conversation abilities.

 _ **Why not?**_

 _Head's all messed up._

 _Can't decide if this is real or not._

 _ **Guess it's as real as you want it to be.**_

 _ **If it was a dream, wouldn't we have woken up by now?**_

 _Guess so._

 _ **You gonna tell me what happened before you woke up here?**_

 _Nope._

 _ **You're gonna have to eventually.**_

 _I know._

 _ **I can handle it.**_

 _It's not you I'm worried about._

 _ **Then what?**_

 _I don't think I'm ready to deal with what happened yet._

 _ **Oh. Sorry…**_

 _It's OK. Don't want to keep you up. Go to bed - I'll see you in the morning._

 _ **You sure?**_

 _Yeah. Goodnight Beth._

 _ **OK. Goodnight Daryl.**_

She sent the last text, letting it float away to Atlanta where she knew Daryl was still in his bed, thinking of her enough to send her a message. She couldn't stop her smile as she closed her eyes, falling into a restful sleep for the first time in a very long time.


	9. Chapter 9 - Dealing With Demons

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Nine - Dealing With Demons

 _Author's Note: I lied again. Here's another chapter - I can't stop writing this story! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

As promised. Beth made it to the hospital early the next morning.

She found herself scrutinizing the outfit she wore and how she fixed her hair in the mirror of her bathroom before she left. As she pulled some of her blonde hair back with a clip, she frowned at herself. Daryl had seen her sweaty and dirty and bloody, covered in guts and brains and bile and hadn't cared in the least. Why on earth was she obsessing over how she looked in front of him now?

Deep down she knew there was something else there. The butterflies. The constant thoughts surrounding him. This frustrating need to want to impress him - though with what, she wasn't sure. On top of everything else. On top of being in a new world, trying to adjust to a new life and the fact that nobody remembered that just a week ago, the dead were roaming the earth (or the earth she'd left behind), she didn't think she could handle the fact that she maybe, there was a possibility, that she had feelings for Daryl.

There was enough to deal with already.

After a tough mental talk with herself on the way to Atlanta, she'd pushed the confusing feelings and thoughts aside. But despite her best intentions, her stomach still jumped uncomfortably and her heart beat quicker than she would have liked as she reached his room at the hospital.

Daryl was sitting up, his eyes fixated on the television in the corner of the room. The Price Is Right was on the screen and Beth smiled instantly at how silly the scenario seemed. She was hovering in his doorway, watching him without him knowing. He looked the same as he always did - rough and rugged, his resting face inherently angry looking, but she knew it was just a front.

He was handsome in a strange way - she could see it now, without all that dirt and sweat and blood that seemed to be constantly smeared across his face in the old world. His jaw was square, decorated with scruff up to his cheekbones and across his upper lip. His nose, narrow and slightly crooked, like he'd broken it in years past, but had never gotten it properly fixed. He had heavy eyebrows, sitting above narrowed eyes that, if you looked close enough, Beth knew, had crystal clear blue irises that you could get lost in, if you didn't look away quickly enough.

He looked like a younger version of himself almost, and she supposed that was right because she looked different to herself in the mirror too. The old world, it aged you. The constant stress and fear, it demanded your youth, ruthlessly, day in and day out.

She couldn't stand it anymore, so she made her entrance known, clearing her throat as a courtesy. He scrambled for the remote, turning the television off and coughing into the crook of his elbow as she entered the room.

"Any good prizes?" Beth asked with a grin, coming to sit in the chair she'd left behind yesterday.

Daryl crossed his arms, letting the remote fall to the bed beside him. "Jet ski and a trip to Hawaii," he mumbled. "Dumbass bid too much for it."

"Wouldn't take you as a Price is Right kinda guy," Beth commented.

"Call me nostalgic," he said. "My old man used to have it on sometimes when I was a kid."

The image of a young Daryl in footie pajamas, eating Cheerio's entered her mind, as he sat on a couch watching the Price is Right with Merle and Will Dixon, all of them shouting out prices for a Cuisinart toaster oven. She internalized a giggle.

"Thanks for comin'," he said quietly, causing the vision to disappear. "You didn't have'ta."

"Wanted to," Beth said. "'Course I did."

"You're gonna have to actually go to work one of these days, ya know?" he mock scolded her.

She gave a small smile. "Maybe tomorrow."

The silence that sometimes hung between them was back, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was almost comforting - definitely normal. She'd learned that about Daryl after being with him for some time. His silence wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes if she'd just let him think, let him come around, he'd say what was on his mind.

"Tried callin' Merle. My dad," he said finally. "Don't seem like they're takin' calls."

Beth's eyes met his and she sighed. "Sorry."

"Whatever," he said with a shrug. "Used to it."

"Shouldn't have to be," she replied before she'd realized it.

"Worried, is all."

"For what?" She almost laughed. "You ain't got nothin' bad to worry about now." He was silent, looking towards the ceiling and away from her. She tried to meet his gaze. "What is it?" she questioned.

"Got nowhere to go once I'm outta here," he said quietly. "'Cept back with them."

And then she remembered.

Daryl didn't have a good family to go home to like Beth did. Nobody here to pick him up or to visit him. She wasn't even sure he was happy waking up to this new world, with no walkers and no threats like the one they'd left behind. Where it had been a joy for Beth to find her family again - alive and thriving, living their lives - she realized, it must have been very different for Daryl.

She knew he'd left behind a painful past, no valuable foreseeable future and a fucked up family who cared very little about him. Coming back to it, she imagined, was way more confusing then it had been for Beth.

"Well, maybe you don't gotta go back there," she said.

"Where else I got to go?" he asked, sounding slightly irritated. "Plus, before the turn, before things went south," he said. "I took care of that piece'a shit trailer. I paid the bills - kept the electricity on, took the garbage out." He shook his head. "I gotta go back. I gotta see…" he trailed off, maybe realizing he'd been talking too much, "if they're okay."

Beth felt awful. She felt awful thinking that his home, he'd probably worked so hard to maintain, was so awful. She felt awful that was the life he'd left behind and now the one he was waking up to again. He deserved better. And as much as she wanted to say that to him, she knew it wasn't her place.

"I'll go with you," she offered. "When you go back. You don't gotta go alone."

Daryl almost laughed. "You don't wanna come with me," he said shaking his head forcefully. "I'll be fine."

"I've already been there. Already met your dad and I know how Merle can be. I don't care," she pressed on. "I wanna go."

He shrugged at her and without thinking, she grabbed his arm. He stiffened at her touch, but she kept her hands there anyway, holding onto his forearm gently. "If you don't wanna stay there, we can…" she paused to make sure the words were coming out right, "We can figure somethin' else out."

He chewed his lip thoughtfully, looking at her peculiarly, like he was trying to figure out what was going on in her head, but not saying anything, just looking. His stare made her overly conscious of herself and her movements - what she was wearing, how her facial expressions looked. She wished she could explain why he made her feel like that. She thought then, of the ad that Hershel had mentioned running in the paper - the new ranch hand. Of course!

"Daryl," she said carefully. "You can come work on the farm."

"Hmm?"

"Otis and Patricia - they moved up to Virginia. Daddy put an ad in the paper for a new ranch hand." She smiled at him widely. "Why don't you take the job? My dad - he'd hire you no problem. He needs someone strong. Smart. Someone who can learn quickly."

She could have sworn that his cheeks flushed as she spoke, but before they could finish their conversation, the silver-haired doctor returned to the room, smiling when she saw Beth situated on the chair next to Daryl's bed. Quickly, Beth released her grip on Daryl.

"Hi Beth," she greeted her. "Sorry Daryl, but we'll need to take you for some follow-up tests now to see how you made out with the surgery. If all's well, you can be discharged in a day or two."

"Okay," Daryl said to the doctor, then he turned towards Beth. "You gonna stay?" he asked in a voice that told her that he wanted her to, without really saying it.

She nodded. "Yeah. Gonna go downstairs for somethin' to eat."

"We should be done in about an hour," the doctor told her, so Beth left the room, casting Daryl one last look over her shoulder. He watched her as she left and she felt his eyes on her even after she'd made her way down the hall. His gaze was enamoring, and she didn't hate it.

* * *

She'd been in this cafeteria before. Before she'd known the horrors of Grady and Dawn and realized how very trapped she was. She'd remembered the instant thrill she'd felt of the prospect of hot food in her belly, and then the immediate defeat that followed when she realized she'd have to pay her dues. It was so cruel - crueler than she'd realized at the time. And maybe everything had been crueler than she'd realized, if she thought about it long enough.

But this cafeteria was packed with people, seats at each table taken up by a body, the occupants shoveling food into their mouths, talking or sitting quietly. She realized, suddenly, the large group of bodies, together in a single room made her extremely uncomfortable.

Ignoring the sweat that had formed on her upper lip, Beth picked up a tray and made her way through the meal line, picking up a sandwich, some chips and a bottle of water on her way to the cash register. She paid and entered the main area to find a space to sit. Table space was sparse as she sifted through the tables and chairs.

And then, she spotted a familiar face sitting near a window, staring out of it absentmindedly.

Mustering up her courage, she went towards the table, heading for the open seat across from Lori Grimes. She looked just as Beth remembered before she'd left them at the prison - beautiful with dark chocolate eyes, mousy brown, stringy hair, shaped eyebrows and a thin, worried face. She too looked younger, though not as drastically young as Beth had seen the change in herself and Daryl. She had to remind herself that Lori had left them much earlier in the old world.

"Mind if I join you?" Beth asked, reaching the empty chair. "Sorry - everywhere else is taken." She motioned to the surroundings.

Lori looked up at Beth, her face not showing an ounce of recognition, but she seemed relieved to have some company. "Please," she said, gesturing towards the open chair across from her.

"Thanks," Beth said, trying to sound relieved. "I'm Beth." She placed her tray down and reached across the table to shake her hand

"Lori." She grasped Beth's hand firmly and shook it. Beth sat down then, unscrewing her water bottle as she did so to take a quick gulp.

"Food any good?" Beth asked casually.

Lori shrugged. "It's alright. Not really tastin' much these days."

"Why's that?" Beth asked, hoping she wasn't being too forward.

Lori's glance shifted to the window again and she looked out of it longingly. "It's my husband," she practically whispered. Beth's heart picked up it's pace. "He's been in a coma for two years."

"Oh," Beth said sadly, her breath catching in her chest at the sudden information. "I'm so sorry."

Lori shook her head at her and Beth noticed tears welling when their eyes met again. "They told me he probably wouldn't recover, you know?" she sighed. "Had me move him here to be more comfortable. Kept him on life support. Mostly for our son, Carl." The tears had finally escaped, rolling down her cheeks freely now.

"I thought…" she hesitated. "I thought he was gone. Gone for good. But…he just woke up. They told me he wouldn't, but…he did."

Beth's face brightened and she tried to smile at Lori, but the woman didn't respond to her joy. "Well that's wonderful," Beth stammered, trying to make sense of Lori's emotions.

"That's the thing though, right?" Lori questioned her, her eyes wide. "I should be happy."

Beth gaped at her, trying to hide her surprise. "Well, sure. I suppose you should."

Lori wiped the tears from her face with the palm of her hands. "I had to move on, you know? Two years, alone. I started a relationship with someone else. Had a baby. We created a family and now…" she started crying again, fresh tears appearing. "I don't know what to do. They told me he was as good as dead. How do I tell him?"

Beth stared at Lori. She looked broken and confused and wounded, but in a way Beth had a hard time feeling sorry for her. "Well, you couldn't have known," she tried to rationalize with her. "You probably did what you thought was the right thing."

"I just don't know anymore," Lori said, running her hands down her face. She looked at Beth then, like she'd only just noticed she was there. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She closed her eyes, letting remnants of tears finish falling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to just, let this all go. I don't even know you. I just…haven't had anyone to talk to. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Beth said nicely, meeting her gaze. Lori looked at her gratefully and Beth smiled at her. "Sometimes things just pour outta you and you can't help it. It's alright Lori - promise."

"Oh, you're awfully sweet," Lori said. "Well, go on and eat your lunch. Don't let me bother you with my sob story. I should be going anyhow."

"You sure?" Beth asked, disappointed.

"Yeah," Lori answered. "Best get back to my husband. He woke up panicked, yellin', hysterical…but awake nonetheless. They had to knock him out to get him stable again. Imagine that - two years in a coma and they knock him out again 'cause his mind's not right. Go figure. Anyway, just wanna make sure he's alright."

Beth's heart sank in disappointment, hearing Rick wasn't awake quite yet.

"It was nice to meet you Lori," Beth said with a nod. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Lori smiled at her, genuinely. "Thanks for listenin'. I'm sure we'll meet again."

Beth had a feeling she didn't know how right she was and watched her leave, through the crowd of the cafeteria and through the door. She scarfed down her lunch, quickly, hurling back up to the seventh floor as quickly as she could to talk to Daryl.

* * *

The world had gone black, like he'd been blindfolded suddenly. His senses had heightened and then came the pain. The blood. The stars in his eyes. He had faded quickly, losing consciousness, then coming back strong - screaming, crying, kicking - fighting back. He wasn't ready to go. To die, if that's what this was. He was pretty certain it was, but Rick Grimes wouldn't lose his life without a fight on the way out.

He'd woken suddenly, after what felt like only a few moments, satisfied that he'd made it. It was strangely warm and he was covered in a blanket, someone's face only inches from his as he gasped for air, his lungs on fire. His vision was blurred, the world spinning, his stomach lurching from the suddenness of it all.

"Rick?" he heard a voice say his name. It was familiar and his brain strained to remember who it belonged to.

Lori?

That couldn't be right. It wasn't _her._

"Mich…" his voice stopped working and hands were on his chest, shaking him, grabbing at his shirt as he struggled to stay awake.

"Rick!" the voice exclaimed and now he knew it wasn't her - it was Lori. And that's when he knew something definitely wasn't right, so he gripped the sides of his bed and thrashed about, not ready to be here, not ready to leave _her_ behind. Not ready to give up.

"Nurse?" he heard Lori's voice, distant now. "Someone get in here!" she cried, sounding hysterical. "Please!"

And then there was a pinching in his arm and he faded instantly, everything floating away.


	10. Chapter 10 - Pretend It's Okay

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter Ten - Pretend It's Okay

 _Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the amazing response to this story! It's been really fun to write and plan out and I hope you like where it goes - I feel like I have a lot to live up to now (In a good way!) These chapters might get a little bit longer now because there will be a lot happening to keep the story moving and start tying things together. As always, thank you for the reviews, likes and favorites - the support keeps me going! Please enjoy!_

* * *

Beth returned to the room before Daryl got back, her insides jumping with the information she'd heard from Lori. She couldn't sit still, so instead she wandered around the room, noting the familiarity of it from when she'd been in the hospital. A few things were different though - she noticed some of Daryl's things next to his bed on the table.

Curiously, she explored, finding that he had an extra pair of hospital socks, a bottle of Gatorade, an iPhone with a plain black case that sat silent, and a magazine that one of the nurses must have bought for him: _**Outdoor Life**_ with the headline _Bowhunting Prep: 5 Drills to Prepare You for Your Best Bow Season Ever!_ She laughed at that, like Daryl needed a magazine to tell him how to shoot a bolt.

She picked it up, curious to flip through the pages, just to see what they held, and from it slipped a small piece of paper she recognized as the one she'd written her cell phone number on and her necklace that he'd shown her just the other day. She'd meant to ask him about it, but hadn't got the chance to. She still had his bandana with her, tied to her wrist. It was a habit now - she didn't leave the house without it.

She fingered the necklace and the piece of paper, smiling to herself and then tucked them back into the pages, replacing the magazine where she'd found it.

"Hi," came a gruff voice behind her, startling her, so that she gave a small squeak of surprise, her face flushing like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Sorry," she said instinctually, turning to face Daryl. "I was just…"

"It's okay." He was standing up on his own - no wheelchair. He looked stronger - more Daryl-like, she thought. Square shoulders that led their way into rippled muscles visible beneath that still ridiculous hospital gown they'd given him. This time he had pajama pants on and she let her eyes linger on them a little longer than she thought she should have. She would have never thought she'd see Daryl in anything other than dirty denim or blood-spattered leather.

He came towards her, slowly, not really looking at her, his focus on the bed, so she jumped out of the way, unsure if she should help him or not. She decided against it, knowing his temperament and came to sit in the chair next to the bed.

"How was the cafeteria?" Daryl grunted as he settled into the bed.

"Well," Beth started, feeling excited, "I saw _Lori._ She said Rick was in a coma - for the past two years. He woke up, just the other day - here!" She looked at him, her eyes shimmering with excitement. He brought his gaze up to hers, a hint of excitement visible behind them. She felt a little surge of satisfaction settle in her belly. "She said he was upset - yellin' about stuff. They had to knock him out again to keep him stable. Oh Daryl," she cried, unable to help herself. "I got a feelin' he remembers too."

"Alright, alright," Daryl replied, putting his hands out to pause her. "We don't know anythin' yet. Let's just work with what we got right now and not move too quick."

"What we got?" Beth questioned him. "We don't have anythin' to work with."

"The necklace. The bandana," Daryl reminded her. "Those are things."

"But we don't know what they mean!" she exclaimed. "You still haven't told me anythin' about how you ended up here!" she said a little louder than she'd meant to. "You haven't said much of anything at all."

Daryl looked down at his hands, his face looking slightly sad, slightly guilty. She felt bad instantly. Maybe he hadn't been ready. Maybe something really terrible had happened to him that made him end up here. Beth - she hadn't remembered much of anything except the anger she'd felt towards Dawn - then she'd woken up. It hadn't been so bad.

The silence was there again, but this time it bothered Beth and she wanted to say something to make it go away, but instead she kept her eyes on Daryl and watched the wheels turn in his head as he tried to think of what to say. She wanted to apologize but she also wanted to pry for information, unsure of what the solution was between the two.

And then, finally, he spoke.

"When you died," he started, looking up at her, his stare piercing and unwavering. He was looking - no, gazing at her, in a way she hadn't seen him do before. Like he still couldn't believe she was there. "It was horrible. That police lady, she shot you. Right in the head." He brought his index finger up to his temple to show her.

Following his lead, Beth brought her hand up to touch her forehead, her fingertips grazing her skin, trying to find something. Any indication that what Daryl was saying was true - but, there was nothing. No broken skin, no scar - hell, there wasn't even a scratch. Nothing to indicate she'd been shot point blank in the brain.

"It happened so quick - we couldn't do anythin'. I thought at first, you might be alive. You looked like you were sleeping. But the blood," he shook his head. "There was so much blood."

"Daryl," Beth said, her voice shaky, "You don't have to," she wanted to say _go on_ , but the truth was that she wanted to know. She wanted to hear what happened after she'd gone, so she let let him continue.

"I lost you," he said. "They stole you right outta my hands and it was my fault you died and I didn't know what to do after. Had to explain to Maggie what happened. Had to go on, push through, pretend it didn't matter." Her own words, echoed from his mouth. "When I lost you, I…" he paused, shaking his head, like he couldn't find the words.

And then, like he'd realized he'd gone too far, he cleared his throat and met her gaze again. "I'd just lost so much. The prison. The funeral home. You. I sorta gave up." He said it in an embarrassed sort of way, looking away from her, towards the opposite wall.

"Stopped carin'. Stopped trustin' everyone. Noah, he brought us up to Virginia. There was a town called Alexandria. Things seemed like they might be okay, for everyone else, but for me - everythin' kinda stopped." He let out a slow breath through puckered lips, looking back at Beth, finally meeting her eyes. Blue on blue, a steady gaze, both of them feeling _something_ , a flighty feeling in their bellies, but neither of them knowing what it meant.

Beth had a sudden urge to be closer to him. To touch him, be next to him, to feel his skin with hers - embrace him with her arms, but she didn't dare move towards him now. Daryl didn't respond to things the way that Beth did, she knew that - but she couldn't help but want it.

"But you're here now," she said slowly. "With me." She didn't want to pry. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. "Tell me how you got here."

She peered up at him apprehensively, through her eyelashes, but he didn't meet her gaze.

"Things got bad. We met some bad people. Got in some bad situations." He looked back at her again, his eyes boring into her. His gaze was penetrating - intimidating almost, but he looked somber. "We lost people. I think..." he swallowed, "I think I died too."

Beth felt like crying as she looked at him. He was real, in front of her. This world, this place - the details of it, the smells and sounds, the time, it was all real. As real, maybe even more real, than the world she'd left behind.

"So, where are we then?" she heard herself asking.

Daryl brought a strong hand up to rub his shoulder absentmindedly. "Dunno," he replied. "Can't be heaven or I wouldn't be in so much pain from that damn surgery. Can't be hell cause, well," his face flushed ever so slightly, "you're here."

She forced a small smile at him, but her mind was spinning, her thoughts jumbled, and the tears did come, but she brushed them away quickly with her fingers.

"We should find Rick," she said impulsively, breaking the silence. "Talk to him too. Maybe he can help us piece more of this together."

"When the time is right," Daryl said steadily.

"But he could _remember_ ," Beth breathed.

Daryl nodded. "I know. But, Lori said he's knocked out, yeah?"

"Yeah," Beth answered, feeling slightly frustrated.

"So we gotta wait for him to wake up anyhow," he said very rationally. "Don't know how long it will be, but at least we know he'll be at the hospital for a few days. After two years out in a coma, he ain't goin' nowhere."

Beth sighed loudly, knowing what was coming. When Daryl was angry, he was anything _but_ rational, but at all other moments, he was the most rational person she knew. In the moment, she was angry at him for it, even though she knew he was right.

"Alright," she said slowly.

"You," he said forcefully, "Gotta get back home and pretend everythin's okay. Talk to Hershel about that job. Go to work tomorrow. Should be out tomorrow night or early the next day. Then, we can deal with Rick. Might be nice for him to see some friendly faces." He gave her a little smile then, and she smiled back, the butterflies escaping again.

"You think he remembers?" Beth urged.

"We'll see," he replied, but she knew him better that he thought she did. She could tell that Daryl thought Rick remembered too.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Beth got back to the farm. She could smell fresh biscuits baking the minute she'd stepped out of the car and she knew instantly it meant that a guest was coming for dinner.

Glenn.

She raced into the house, feet on fire, passing Annette in the kitchen and ran up the stairs to Maggie's room. The door was barely open, but she pushed in anyway having known no boundaries with her sister after the world had come to an end.

In this world though, Maggie was pressing different outfits against her figure in a mirror, turning sharply as Beth flew into the room.

"Don't you knock?" she asked with a frown, turning back towards the mirror.

"Sorry," Beth said, flopping down on Maggie's bed. "Glenn's comin' tonight?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

She saw Maggie grin in the mirror. "Yeah," she answered. "And I'm nervous as all hell."

"Oh, don't be," Beth said, watching her sister. "He'll be fine."

Maggie turned to smile at her and Beth felt small again. Back at the farm. The little sister, watching the big sister admiringly. She questioned her strength again, almost forgetting who she had been. Would it really be that easy to forget? The confidence she'd build with Daryl and at the hospital? She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting that part of her to stay with her forever. She was almost afraid she'd lose it.

"Purple dress?" Maggie held up a lavender sundress against herself, "or yellow?" Another, similar, sunflower yellow dress came up in front of it.

"Purple," Beth chose, though she knew Glenn would like any dress Maggie chose. The old Glenn hadn't ever seen Maggie all dolled up in a dress anyhow, and he loved her just the same. "Won't matter anyhow. You look good in everythin'."

Maggie looked over her shoulder at her sister and smiled. "Well thanks Bethie - ain't you awfully sweet?"

Beth shrugged. "Gonna go help Momma with dinner. See you down there?"

But Maggie was already on her phone, responding to a text, so Beth left the room, closing the door behind her, feeling happy, but like she was missing something. Someone. The words from earlier today with Daryl, echoing in her head.

* * *

Annette refused Beth's help as she puttered around the kitchen, ushering her into the living room with Hershel, which Beth appreciated. She wanted to get his ear about Daryl taking the job as the new ranch hand.

"Hi Daddy," Beth said, sitting on the couch next to him. Hershel had his head buried in a book, _Through the Looking Glass_ by Lewis Carroll. She thought it an odd book for him to have chosen - Hershel was more of a William Faulkner advocate than anything, so a story about a girl falling through a mirror into another world seemed odd - until, maybe it didn't seem so odd after all.

"How ya doin' Bethie?" he asked her looking up from behind the pages, his reading glasses having slid down his nose.

"Good," she said, bringing her knees up, so that the heels of her feet were on the couch. "Great, in fact." She paused for a minute, looking around the room. It was familiar. She'd grown up here - but it still felt slightly foreign to her after so much time away.

"Glad to hear," Hershel responded.

"Listen, I forgot to tell you the other mornin', someone called for that ranch hand job. Told him to come around next week to meet with you and Shawn."

Hershel's eyes lit up. "I told Maggie that people still read the newspaper!" he exclaimed. "She was tryin' to convince me to post some ad on the Internet. Then we'd have God knows who showin' up on our land." He smiled. "I already like whoever this is, if he still reads the paper for his news." He nodded with finality, as if he'd already made up his mind and Beth smiled, knowing she'd planted a good, firm seed in Hershel's mind.

There was a knock at the door and Hershel stiffened on the side of her and Beth turned around where she sat and Annette peeked her head out of the kitchen, but all of them heard Maggie upstairs, scrambling out of her room and down the stairs to get her fingers on the door, so that she would be the person who would open it.

Maggie pulled the door open and everyone pretended to resume their normal behaviors, while still listening towards the front door.

"Hi," Maggie breathed, a hint of panic and a hint of excitement in her voice. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Beth heard Glenn say as he stepped into the house. Hershel got up from the couch and Beth followed suit, heading towards the front foyer.

"Glenn," Maggie brought him over towards Hershel. "This is my Daddy - Hershel."

Hershel eyed Glenn up and down and Glenn looked at him nervously. He was wearing plain khaki slacks and a blue button down shirt, his hair shorter than Beth ever remembered it being. His face was still handsome and young looking - the old world had aged even Glenn's features. He looked noticeably nervous as he and Hershel shook hands.

"This is Beth," Maggie introduced them and Beth smiled widely at him. "I believe you two have already met."

"Hi," Beth said to him, almost apologetically. He nodded at her and then he and Maggie turned towards the kitchen to greet the rest of the family.

* * *

Dinner was delicious, as it always was in the Greene house. Annette Greene was a stellar cook and tonight was no different. The menu featured fried chicken and biscuits with gravy. Plates and plates filled with food. Glenn's nerves seemed to settle and Maggie seemed to smile more and Hershel stopped asking questions the minute Glenn and Maggie's eyes met and she seemed to melt into her chair.

Everyone laughed and ate and enjoyed themselves and even though Beth was happier than she'd been since she'd woken up in this world, she noticed there was an empty chair next to Shawn and she couldn't help but think and hope and pray that soon enough Daryl would be the one to fill it.

* * *

The next morning was Sunday and Beth was woken by a loud knock at her door. "Beth honey?" It was Annette. "We're leavin' in twenty minutes."

That was right - it was Sunday. And on Sunday's the Greene's went to church.

Beth hadn't been to church in what felt like years. She'd remembered the chapel being one of the last things left open once everything else seemed to have shut down and disappeared, and Hershel and Annette and their kids went to pray to the Lord up until the very end. They kneeled in the pews, along with anyone else who had shown up, the number growing fewer by the day, reciting verses from the Bible and Beth had remembered how very pointless she thought all of it seemed.

But, she was going to listen to Daryl and pretend things were okay and play along with the world and go to church. She chose a white sundress and braided her hair, making sure to stuff her wallet and her cell phone into her bag before she climbed into the car with the rest of her family as they made their way down to the chapel only a few miles away from the farm.

Andrea was there, and Beth took the opportunity to run up to her quickly and tell her she'd be coming in to work today. She looked relieved and grasped Beth on the shoulders, squeezing her into a half-hug before she said, "See you later," and wandered off towards a pew.

Beth sat next to Maggie who sat next to Shawn who sat next to Hershel who sat next to Annette, reciting hymns and prayers and shaking hands with their neighbors saying "Peace be with you," until the service was over. Beth was going through the motions, not really listening, her thoughts wandering off into the distance until she realized she was still thinking about Daryl.

Her cheeks flushed, realizing the inappropriateness of her thoughts, but he couldn't help herself. There was _something_ there and she couldn't shake it from her mind.

" _When I lost you, I…_ " he had paused, not knowing what to say next. She wanted to know what he was going to say next. She wanted to know what happened to him, how he felt. Was he in pain? Had he missed her? Or was he happy he didn't have to look out for her anymore? Part of her wondered if maybe he felt these feelings - this confusion, too.

"Beth?" Maggie's voice hissed in her ear. "Go on," she said to her and Beth looked around, realizing the crowds of people were moving from the pews and out towards the doors at the back of the church.

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Sorry."

When they got back to the farm, Beth got into her own car and made her way to the coffee shop, parking in front of it, seeing Andrea inside, scrubbing the counters clean. She instantly felt guilty, knowing she'd left her here on her own for the past few days to take care of the shop while she'd been off seeing Daryl. She'd needed that time though, and knew, in the old world, the old Andrea would have understood that.

The bell chimed as she entered the cafe, announcing her presence and Andrea looked up with a smile. "Hi Beth," she said gladly, her fists on her hips as she took her in. "Glad you're back."

"Glad to be back," Beth said, feeling like it was the right thing to say.

"How's everything going? How are you feeling?"

Beth had almost forgotten she'd even been in an accident. So much had happened since then. "I'm good," she said. "Getting better."

Andrea nodded at her kindly. "Good. Well, grab an apron behind the counter and get on makin' that coffee if you don't mind. I'll finish wiping down the tables."

Beth did as she was told, finding a forest green apron behind the counter and draping it over herself, typing the strings behind her back to cover her outfit. She took a bag of coffee beans and after finding the grinder, poured the bag inside of it, listening to it make smaller grinds from the beans to fill the coffee filters with.

The bell jingled again and Beth looked over, across the counter to the door.

"Hi Philip!" Andrea said cheerfully. "How're you doin' this morning?"

"Andrea," a solid voice said, sending instant chills through her body. "Good morning. I'm doin' just fine. Lookin' for a cup of coffee."

"Well, that's somethin' my girl Beth can help you with."

The man came towards the counter then and Beth looked up, her mouth dropping as she realized who it was. It was the man who had taken a sword to her father's neck. The man who had destroyed her whole world. Or at least the world she'd left behind.

It was The Governor, and he smiled at her like he knew her.


	11. Chapter 11 - Together

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 11 - Together

 ** _Author's Note:_** _Hi guys! Sorry this isn't much of an action-packed chapter (it's kind of a transition chapter), but it's important to the overall story and the transition of Daryl coming to the farm and Bethyl evolution. Hope you all enjoy! Please review and **THANK YOU** for reading/favoriting/following!_

* * *

Beth's blood ran cold as she stared up at the man who murdered her father. He was tall and stern looking, clean-shaven with thin limbs and wrinkles in his forehead. He gave her a small smile.

"Hello Beth."

Her name. How did he know her name? She could barely see straight.

"Hi," Beth managed to mumble, wanting to spit at him. The hate she felt was fierce, rising from her abdomen and into her throat. She knew how noticeable it must be so she looked away from him, turning sharply towards the coffee pots behind her. Her focus darted around and finally she grabbed a cup, clumsily, trying to steady her arm enough to pour the hot liquid into it.

Succeeding, she secured the cup with a lid and hurried to the counter. She shoved the paper cup towards him and tried to shrink herself behind the counter, but he caught her in conversation instead.

"You're one of Hershel's girls?" he asked, handing her a few bills for the coffee.

She whipped her head up towards him so quickly that her neck strained. Her father's name on his tongue - it was obscene. It wasn't right.

"Yes," she managed to say through her teeth as she grabbed the money from his hands.

He nodded at her, rubbing his neck at the same time. She could practically see fire as she punched numbers into the cash register, angrily, causing it to spring open. She shoved the dollars into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"Good man," he said. "Good to see you around town. Heard about your accident. Doing okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she choked, looking away from him.

"Here?" he pressed on. "You doing okay, here?" She looked up at him curiously. Here? As in work? As in this world? Her eyes were wide and she couldn't find words to form to respond, but he seemed unbothered by this. He gave her a very distinct wink and said, "Take care, Beth Greene."

She was dumbfounded by the entire experience, as she watched him walk casually out of the shop, carrying his coffee, giving a small wave to Andrea. She had this strange feeling in her core that there was something off. Did he remember? Was he messing with her?

Andrea came to the counter, resting her elbows on it, her head in her hands. "Isn't he dreamy?" she swooned.

"What?" Beth said, her trance breaking.

"Philip," Andrea said, staring towards the door. "He's so handsome."

"Oh," Beth said, her breath catching in her throat, her stomach feeling queasy. "Sure."

"He just moved here a few weeks ago," she continued on. "Been stopping in a lot since you've been out."

"How's he know my dad?" Beth asked curiously, trailing her fingertips across the counter.

"Think he has a dog," Andrea commented nonchalantly. "Probably's gone to see your dad to take a look at the mutt."

Beth had no doubt in her mind that The Governor would have done damage to an animal just to get in to see Hershel, to get to see Beth or Maggie, if he thought, even for a moment, that they remembered him and who he was in the old world. She shuddered at the thought, hating that this man who had done these terrible things to her family, would have walked right up to the Greene farm and Hershel, she knew, would have welcomed him with open arms.

Unwanted tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she saw Andrea look at her with a concerned frown.

"Beth, you okay?" she asked, reaching across the counter for her hand.

Beth nodded quickly, letting her grasp it. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling embarrassed.

"Is it Jimmy?" Andrea asked kindly, looking at her.

"What!" Beth exclaimed, ripping her arm away from Andrea. "No. Not at all. Just, still, recovering." It was a lame excuse, but Andrea seemed to buy it, nodding with understanding.

"Listen, if you're not ready to be back here, it's okay," she said, giving her an out.

Beth jumped at the opportunity. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, moving to take her apron off slowly. "I'll come back tomorrow, I just need to…adjust." She crumpled the garment up in a ball and placed it on the counter.

"Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow," Andrea called after her as Beth came around the counter.

She ran out of the cafe as fast as she could, her heart racing, her mind spinning and she wanted to scream, track down the Governor and tackle him, take fists to his face and damage him. The emotion she felt was so real and raw that there was a sudden newness to the reminder that she'd come from somewhere else. That the feelings she'd had, the memories she'd experienced - all of that was agonizingly real.

Her truck was in front of her before she'd realized she had reached it, so she pulled open the door and collapsed in the seat, sobbing. Bringing her hands to her face, she realized she couldn't wipe the tears fast enough, so she let them come until they slowed, finally smearing them away from her face, feeling like a mess, unable to totally grasp what she was feeling.

There was a buzzing in her purse, so she fumbled in her bag for it, trying to catch her breath and squinted through the blurriness in her eyes to see that it was Daryl calling. Her heart did a weird flutter thing and she took a deep breath and answered it.

"Beth?" He spoke first.

"Hey," she tried to say as calmly as possible, her voice still shuddering.

"I'm bein' discharged," he said quickly. "Can you come and pick me up?" he asked. "S'alright if you're at work, I can just wait-"

"I'll come now," she cut him off.

"You okay?" Daryl asked. She could see his face through the phone, eyes worried, narrowed, concerned.

"No." Her voice didn't sound like her own. It was hollow. Empty.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked her hurriedly. "Not farm boy?"

"What? No," she groaned, her emotions curling up through the pores of her skin. "I saw…" She hesitated, saying his name. "I saw the Governor. He came right into the cafe. Right up to the counter." She sounded hysterical and pathetic, the tears coming again as she sucked snot up her nose and cried into the phone, hating that she was doing it and hating that Daryl was hearing it. "He knew my name and my dad and my dad's name and he knows too much for any of this to be a coincidence. I'm scared Daryl," she was uncontrollably convulsing with sobs as she wailed into the receiver. "I think he knows."

He was silent on the other end, and she knew it was because he hated dealing with this kind of shit and she hated putting him through her emotional outbursts, but then she heard him quietly, on the other end - his voice painfully steady. "C'mon here. We'll figure it out."

She did her best to calm her breathing as she whispered, "I'm on my way," before hanging up the phone, throwing it back in her bag and starting the truck again to drive back to Atlanta.

* * *

He was waiting outside already when she pulled up to the front of the hospital, in the same pajama pants she'd seen him in earlier, and a loose t-shirt. The clothes looked awkward on him and she wasn't sure if it was because she'd only seen him in his leather vest and mud smeared pants, or because they didn't fit him quite right.

The door swung open and he hurled himself inside, leaning back against the seat with a grunt and looking at her. She was sure she looked ridiculous - red, tear smeared face and a lousy, half-assed smile on her face at the sight of him.

He frowned at her, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to dwell on it, so she pulled the truck back into drive, moving it forward. "Told my Dad you'd be comin' to the farm today," Beth said. "Gotta have a talk with him before he'll hire you. It's a live in job just like how it was with Otis, so you'll have a room to stay, food to eat. Won't have to go back to that trailer."

"Not yet," Daryl grumbled, so she side-eyed him as she pulled from the parking lot of the hospital out into traffic.

"Whatta mean?" she yelled angrily. "You need to take this job. I _need_ you Daryl. I _need_ you to take this job and be at the farm with me." She couldn't help it - she was starting to cry again. "I can't do this alone anymore. I feel crazy. I'm tired." She sighed, trying to contain some of her hysteria. "I'm sorry." She whispered the last part.

"Hey," she heard him say and then she almost jumped out of her seat as she felt his fingers, ever so lightly, touch her arm. She whipped her head towards him and looked at him, his eyes gleaming, the color of the summer sky, studying her face, choosing his words carefully. "I'm gonna come. But i need to stop by the trailer first. I gotta see Merle and my Dad. Gotta tell them where I'm going."

Beth knew they didn't care, but she didn't dare say that to Daryl. He genuinely cared. He genuinely wanted to know how they were and what they were doing and Beth had to remind herself that they were the only family he'd known before the turn. She felt silly for getting so bent out of shape so quickly, so she nodded, trying not to react too much as he pulled his fingers away from her arm, the light touch of him feeling imprinted on her skin.

She turned her attention back out towards the windshield. "You wanna talk about what happened?" Daryl asked beside her, sounding unsure.

"No," Beth responded, her fingers toying with the radio dial. "You got music you like? Country? Rock?"

"Beth." He sounded so concerned and it comforted her in a way she couldn't explain.

"Remind me how to get to Dawsonville from the highway," she said, in an effort to change the subject. "Was comin' down the other way last time."

"Beth." he said her name more sternly this time.

" _What?_ " she asked, sounding annoyed, but unable to help it.

He sighed. "Quit it." She could feel his eyes on her, but didn't want to face him. "Don't worry about the Governor. He was nothin' before the turn, and he's nothin' now. He's nothin' to worry about. He can't hurt you. Or your Dad. I'll make sure of it."

She took a deep breath, letting his words settle. Was he making promises he couldn't keep? Daryl might have been quiet and rough and sometimes awkward, but he knew Beth and he knew what to say to talk her down. She wondered if it was from all of the days of them being together. She wondered how long he'd known what she was thinking. She wondered if he could feel what she was feeling now and her face flushed instantly, hoping he didn't because those butterflies and feelings she'd tried so hard to suppress were coming back in all sorts of ways now.

"It's exit 1B," he mumbled, getting noticeably uncomfortable from her silence.

"Thanks," she muttered, not knowing if it was for the information or for his words.

It was Daryl's turn to reach for the radio. He chose a rock station playing Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" and she found herself singing along as they drove down the highway together. His presence next to her was enough. Just enough, for right now.

* * *

The trailer looked even smaller than she remembered it as she cut the engine and looked at Daryl who was staring at the structure from the passenger seat. He was hesitating, his hand on the handle and she wanted to say something. Help ease his uncertainty or his fear or his pain, but she didn't have the words.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his shoulder instead and he glanced over at her small fingers that gripped him and the side of his lip curved upwards in the slightest smile. At that motion, she felt like her stomach was in her chest, like she was falling from a tall height, almost like she couldn't breathe. He turned away from her then, opening the car door and leaving her, her hand still hovering as she watched him march up towards the trailer.

Instead of knocking, he took a deep breath and stormed into the house, closing the door behind him and instantly, she heard yelling from all the way in the truck. She looked away, feeling like an intruder, not wanting to eavesdrop into whatever Daryl had just walked into, but she couldn't help herself.

Merle was yelling, she could distinctly make out his voice, then another, who she assumed was Will. A few moments of silence passed then and she tapped her fingers nervously against the steering wheel watching the clock in the truck pass the minutes slowly. She hoped everything was okay, and then there was yelling again as the door swung open and she watched, horrified, as Merle pushed Daryl out of the house.

The Dixon brothers were about the same height. She'd remembered that about them, but Daryl looked smaller now, with Merle yelling at him angrily, his hands flying all about as Daryl looked at his shoes with a bag in his hand.

"Go on then, go!" Merle spat at Daryl, waving his hand towards the truck. He met Beth's eyes and showed his teeth, giving a wide, angry grin before looking back at his brother. "That's why you're leavin' us? For some fuckin' pussy? You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me! We're blood baby brother - ain't nobody gonna look out for you like we will." He pushed him then, hands firm on his shoulders as Daryl backed his way down the stairs, slinging the bag over his arm.

"Ain't like that Merle," Beth heard him say, looking back at the trailer.

"Yeah, yeah, go on and get your fancy job," Merle snarled at him. "I took care of you all those years and now you're gonna move to some fancy farm to get your rocks off with some baby blondie. Fine by me brother." Merle turned to go back into the trailer.

"Didn't take care of me one bit," Daryl yelled back at his brother, "Couldn't even come'n get me from the hospital. From an accident _you_ caused. Fuck you Merle. Can't live like this with you and dad no more."

"Yeah, too good for us now, aren't ya?" Merle yelled, the veins in his neck protruding from his skin, giving him a crazed sort of look.

"You need me, you know how to find me. Sober the fuck up, man," Daryl said, shaking his head in disappointment. He turned back towards the truck, letting Merle take angry breaths on the deck, shouting obscenities at Beth and Daryl, before turning around and disappearing back into the house.

Daryl threw his bag into the cargo bed, where it landed with a solid thump. Then, instead of getting into the passenger's seat, he went back towards the trailer, disappearing around the side of it, emerging with what looked like a crossbow.

And as he came closer, she saw that was exactly what it was - his crossbow. Familiar, large and lethal. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, and he threw it casually in the back with his bag, throwing open the door and hopping back into the truck.

She could smell the sweat on him, from the heat of the day or the exertion of yelling at Merle, she didn't know, but he was on edge and angry, his eyes on fire.

"Sorry you had to see that," he said quietly. "Merle's a dick."

"Don't matter," Beth replied, staring forward, over the steering wheel. "I know how he can be."

"Still don't care for you to see that shit," Daryl said.

"I'll pretend I didn't then," she replied, trying to catch his eye. He kept his head turned away from her, so she asked, "The crossbow?"

"Old time's sake," he shrugged. "For huntin' and you know…just in case."

She nodded, pulling the truck into drive. "You wanna talk about it?" she asked as a peace offering, already knowing his answer before she'd finished asking the question.

"Nope," he said defiantly, so she drove onwards.

* * *

The farm was alive with activity when they reached it, Beth pulling up the long driveway. Annette and Maggie were on the porch, laughing over something and Shawn and Hershel were hard at work by the barn.

Beth hadn't thought about how it might look, her pulling up to the house with a strange man in her car, but she decided to use the excuse that she'd given Daryl her number so she could pick him up from the bus stop in town, if anyone asked.

She turned the truck off, letting the engine die and looked at Daryl. He was still lost in thought, though his anger seemed to have subsided a bit. She wondered how it felt for him, being back at the farm. He was taking in the surroundings - the house, the barn, the windmill - Maggie and her mom on the porch, then glancing over towards Hershel and Shawn at the barn.

"Strange to be back here, huh?" Beth asked kindly.

"It feels good to be back here," Daryl said honestly. He looked at her. "Just strange that Rick and the others aren't here."

She nodded, feeling sad. "We'll get to talk to him soon, once you get settled," Beth said, realizing that Daryl probably missed Rick in a way she didn't totally comprehend.

"Sure hope this goes well. Got nowhere else to go." He looked out the window.

"You'll stay here Daryl. It'll be fine."

He opened the car door then, jumping out onto the driveway carefully. Beth climbed out of the truck herself and came around to lead Daryl over to Hershel and Shawn by the barn. They walked in silence, but she could sense his tension behind her.

"Don't be nervous," she turned to whisper to him as they came upon her brother and father.

"I'm not," Daryl lied.

They came upon Hershel and Shawn, both of them turning to acknowledge their presence.

"Daddy," Beth said, stepping aside to reveal Daryl behind her. "This is Daryl Dixon. He's interested in the ranch hand position. He was the man I was tellin' you about the other day." She searched her father's face for any ounce of recognition he might have upon seeing Daryl, but there was none.

"Hi sir," Daryl said politely, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. Hershel grabbed Daryl's hand with his own, shaking it firmly.

"Daryl," Hershel said, looking him in the eye. "Nice to meet you."

"I'll leave you to it then," Beth said with a nod, giving Daryl one last glance before she walked away from them, confident that Daryl would have no problem getting her father to hire him.

* * *

As Beth had predicted, about an hour later, Hershel brought Daryl into the house and introduced him to Annette and Maggie as the new ranch hand. They all stood in the kitchen and Beth found the whole experience slightly disorienting as Annette asked Daryl if he would eat lasagna for dinner.

"Yes ma'am," Daryl answered.

"Daryl, why don't you grab your things? Beth can show you to where you can stay," Hershel said with a nod to his youngest daughter.

"Sure Daddy," Beth answered, following Daryl back out to the truck.

They were alone again, out front of the house. The wind had picked up, blowing dirt up from the driveway.

"Knew you'd have no trouble convincin' my dad," Beth said with a smile as she watched Daryl fish his bag and crossbow out from the cargo bed.

Daryl gave a grunt. "Told him I had nowhere else to go. I'm a hard worker. I'll earn my keep. Don't gotta pay me even, but he refused that of course." He turned to face Beth, slinging the crossbow over one shoulder and his bag over the other. "Your dad's a good man."

"He is," Beth echoed his sentiment, her heart feeling heavy as Daryl spoke about Hershel.

"I'll make him proud," he said. "Promise that."

"Yeah, I know you will," Beth said with confidence as she turned back towards the house. "C'mon bring your things. I'll get you to Otis and Patricia's old room."

"Beth," Daryl said, stopping her in her tracks, and she looked over her shoulder at him, brushing her hair away so she could see him clearly. He was staring at her again, in a way she hadn't been able to explain before, but she recognized it now. It was an affectionate sort of look. She had never seen him look at anything, or anyone else that way before and it made her feel warm, her skin tingling inexplicably. "Thank you," he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

"Don't thank me," she said, turning towards him fully now, meeting his eyes. "You belong here."

* * *

The farmhouse was large - sometimes Beth forgot how large it was. Otis and Patricia had a space of their own at the back of the house where they lived and could shut themselves away if they wanted.

Down the hall from the kitchen, through a private door was where they'd stayed in a room with a loft. The bottom space had a small bathroom, a tiny area with a counter, a sink and a small mini-fridge, and a sitting area that held an old loveseat, coffee table and a television. Next to a small window there was a screen door that led to the backyard of the house. The loft was accessible by a black metal ladder and at the top, Beth knew, there was a bed.

"This is it," Beth said. "It's not much room-"

"It's amazin'," Daryl said, brushing past her and into the room, looking around. His eyes were wide, taking in his surroundings, like he couldn't believe he was here. Beth remembered the trailer and thought this might have been the nicest place Daryl had ever stayed.

"Do you want me to go?" Beth asked awkwardly, unsure if Daryl wanted to settle in without her.

"No," he said sharply, turning towards her. "Stay. I think I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked, sticking her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"To tell you what happened. How I think I died."


	12. Chapter 12 - The New Ranch Hand

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 12 - The New Ranch Hand

 ** _Author's Note:_** _Well, this chapter came alive quicker than I thought. I was really eager to write this one. I promise more adventure/answers are coming soon. Enjoy the Bethyl feels and please review! Thanks for reading!_

 **Trigger Warning:** There are domestic abuse themes in this chapter.

* * *

Denise was dead and Daryl was angry, unable to think straight. It was his fault.

His father's voice rang in his ears, _It's your fault Daryl, it's your fault._ Belt to the back. Pain searing across his skin. _Your fucking fault. All your fucking fault Daryl_. Leather making contact with the wounds that were already there, opening them. _You fuck everything up Daryl, it's all your fucking fault_. He could practically _feel_ the scars form with every lash.

Screaming did nothing when his father beat him, he learned that quickly. Merle wasn't there to intervene, so he'd drape himself over the back of a wooden chair and take the beating, his teeth biting through the skin on his lip. His tongue tasting blood.

It had been _literally_ beaten into him. Bad things happened. All your fault.

So when Denise died and he knew it was his fault, like it had been his fault when the prison fell, when he lost Beth, then again when she'd died - he lost control. He lost his rational thinking. He'd lost _everything_. It was all his fault.

Dwight shot him in the shoulder and the blood wouldn't stop pouring out from the wound. They'd heard about Negan, sure, but he had no idea how lethal he was until he was pulled out of the dark place they'd thrown him and Negan had played a game with them, threatening to destroy the group they'd worked so hard to build. He chose Daryl from the crowd and had practically destroyed him with that disgusting weapon - a baseball bat all wrapped up in barbed wire. The pain was quick and darkness came fast and he was gone from that world, brought into the new one, waking up warm in Grady Memorial where the doctor had told him Beth had been by to see him.

But Beth had died, he'd told the doctor. He had buried her and he didn't believe any of it until he was washing his face in the bathroom and found her necklace, just lying on the sink like it belonged there. It was a sign or he was dreaming or knocked out because Beth couldn't be alive - she was in the ground, six feet under with a bullet in her brain. He'd made the cross to mark her grave himself, with his own bare hands, bloody and splintered, carving the cross as unstoppable tears rolled down his cheeks. He remembered it, every single day, since he'd buried her tiny body. His heart ached for her, the shining beacon of light that she was.

And then she'd appeared in the hospital and she was in his arms - real and solid and alive, and for a while he thought he was crazy but now - back on the Greene farm, working for Hershel, sitting and telling Beth this story, he knew this was real and tangible, though they might be in a different place or reality or something, it really didn't matter to him. Nothing mattered as much as being back with her. She was pulling the pieces of him back together again, re-doing him like a puzzle and no matter what this was, he didn't want to let it go.

* * *

Beth was crying again. She felt like she had been crying all day, as Daryl chronicled what was sounding more and more like his own death and wincing as he described leaving the old world and coming into the new one. They were sitting on the sofa together, Daryl looking down at his lap and Beth watching him as he spoke, the words slicing through her like a knife.

He finished after what felt like hours and she was grateful for the end and somehow realized she'd reached for his hands and he'd let her take them in her own - his large, rough fingers in her slender, soft ones. She was squeezing him and he was squeezing her back and they were sitting there holding hands, without really thinking about it.

But then she thought about it and saw that he was maybe thinking about it too and he didn't move to pull his hands away, instead he brushed his thumbs over her skin lightly, tenderly. It felt good and right and she couldn't really steady her breath and she was suddenly aware of how close they were sitting next to each other on the love seat.

The silence was there again and hesitantly, she brought her eyes up to meet his own and she stared at him - handsome and mature and manly, with sharp features and beautiful eyes that she didn't want to look away from. He was scanning her face, drinking in her features and she was too aware of herself, so she focused on him instead, watching his eyes as he looked at her with that affectionate, almost lustful look he'd given her earlier that day.

Unintentionally, she found herself looking at his lips, pink and plump and slightly open and she found that she wanted to press her own lips against his and taste him, his mouth on her own, more than anything she'd ever wanted from another person. The longing and desire was so intense that she found she'd forgotten to breathe properly. And for a second, it almost looked like maybe he wanted to kiss her too and she thought she might have noticed his head moving closer towards hers, cautiously and she looked back into his eyes again, so unsure of herself in the moment.

But instead of moving her head towards him to go that step further, she looked away, pulling her hands back in her lap, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"Oh Daryl," she sighed. "I'm so sorry."

He didn't say anything, but he was still staring at her and when she looked back at him his face had changed and he leaned backwards on the couch, looking lost in his own thoughts.

 _What was that_? she wanted to ask, needing to know. "So, we're all dead," she said instead, trying to make sense of Daryl's story and her own. She hadn't thought she'd died, but things had happened to quickly, she just wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything at the moment.

"Maybe," Daryl said with a shrug. "But I sure don't feel dead."

"Or maybe we're in some kind of parallel world. Like _Alice Through the Looking Glass_ ," she said, thinking of the book her father had been reading the other day.

Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. "Hm?"

"You know - Alice steps through the mirror into another world. A parallel reality of sorts?"

"I guess that could be it," Daryl said, looking down at his own arms. "I sure as shit didn't step through no mirror though."

Beth shook her head. "Just a similar concept," she said thoughtfully. "We need to talk to Rick and see what he knows. Maybe he'll have some answers."

Daryl nodded at her. "Your Dad wants me to get some things done early on the farm tomorrow. Shawn's gonna show me the ropes a bit. We can get back up to Grady in the afternoon."

Beth nodded. "I told Andrea I'd come back to work tomorrow. We'll leave when my shift is done."

"Good," Daryl said and she smiled at him, not forgetting what she'd felt. She looked away from him quickly. She was afraid if she looked at him for too long that she'd want to kiss him again. But she found even without looking at him, even when she got up from the sofa and left him to get cleaned up in the bathroom for dinner, even after she'd retreated to her own room upstairs, she still wanted to know what Daryl Dixon tasted like.

* * *

Morning came quickly and Beth slept soundly, knowing that Daryl was downstairs in the farmhouse. Her mother and father and older brother and sister had always provided a kind of safety around her, but Daryl gave her a different type of security. He knew how to fight and was inherently a protector, keeping her safe from danger, always. She trusted him.

Beth yawned, climbing out of bed lazily and coming towards her window. She saw Shawn and Daryl already out towards the barn, the sun reflecting off of their sweaty backs as they moved hay bales off of one of the trucks, into the barn.

She watched him as he looked over his shoulder, like he'd sensed something and she pulled her face away from the window, thinking maybe he could feel her gaze on him. He scanned the house, like he was trying to find her window, so she disappeared behind the curtain, smiling to herself.

Beth dressed quickly, coming down the stairs, ready for work, muttering a quick hello to Maggie and who sat in the kitchen, flipping through a magazine.

"Where you runnin' off to in such a hurry?" Maggie questioned as Beth ran past the kitchen.

"Work," Beth said, stopping and then taking a few steps backwards into view of her sister.

"Ah," Maggie nodded, casually flipping past another page in her magazine. "That Daryl seems nice," she commented.

"Yeah?" Beth asked curiously, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, Daddy and Shawn seem to like him a lot. God, he looks awfully familiar. Where's he from again?"

Beth's heart skipped a beat. "Dawsonville," she said. "Up north by the mountains."

"Dixon, right?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah!" Beth said enthusiastically. Did Maggie remember? Did she just need to see Glenn and then Daryl to jog her memory? Hope came galloping towards her.

But Maggie shook her head. "Must have been thinkin' bout someone else," she said, scratching her head. "Anyway, have a good day." And she waved Beth away.

Her heart sinking, Beth walked towards the front door, grabbing her purse on the way out. To her surprise, Daryl and Shawn were sitting underneath the tree near the cars, having a drink of water, so she went over to them with a smile.

"Mornin'," she greeted them.

"Hey Bethie," Shawn greeted her with her nickname, making her feel like a child. She slightly narrowed her eyes at him, although she knew he meant nothing by it.

"Mornin' Beth," Daryl said in his gruff voice, meeting her gaze. She grinned at him a little longer than she meant to, hoping Shawn wouldn't notice.

"How's it goin'?" she asked, trying to stay casual.

"Good," Shawn answered, looking at Daryl, resting his elbows on his limber knees. Both of their hands were dirty and Beth thought it suited Daryl, the dirt on his hands. She wasn't sure why, but it seemed like it was just part of him.

"Shawn's a good teacher," she said to Daryl. "He'll get you all up to speed." She tried to gauge how he was feeling, but he was just squinting up at her in the sunshine with a pleasant look about him. "Well, uh, I gotta get to work. See you later?"

"See you Beth," Shawn answered, but her question had been meant for Daryl and he nodded towards her ever so slightly, so that Shawn didn't see.

She got into her truck and drove on to work, thinking about Daryl's lips, wishing she could concentrate on something else, but not really trying that hard.

* * *

Beth stood outside the coffee shop, staring up at the sign, looking past it towards the sky at the impending thunderstorm that was bound to hit the town in just a few minutes. She hadn't realized she was afraid of coming back today until she'd gotten here. She didn't want to see the Governor again. She wasn't sure she could handle it.

Andrea squeezed her into a hug as she came inside and let Beth busy herself by filling up the coffee cups and lids and making fresh, new pots of coffee. The morning ticked by, with no sign of the Governor, or Philip - who she now had to refer to him as.

Another woman named Olivia came in an hour before her shift was over to pick up where Beth had left off and she was nice enough, talking about how she cured meats in her basement. Beth tried to nod enthusiastically before leaving through the front door, racing to the truck and driving home quickly.

When she got back to the farm, the sky was a mix of sun and dark clouds. Thunderstorms had been rolling through their small town all day, letting up a little to let the sun shine through, drying up the wetness, then rolling in again, letting down a blanket of rainfall for a few minutes at a time.

Daryl was still by the barn, sitting outside of it, smoking a cigarette when Beth pulled up in the truck. She smiled at the sight of him, almost having forgotten he was a smoker - it not bothering her in the least.

She sauntered over to him, checking her surroundings to see if any of her family was around. Daryl seemed to be alone, so she came over to sit down next to him.

"Hi," she said as she joined him on the ground.

He took one last drag of the cigarette and extinguished it in the dirt beside him. "Sorry," he immediately apologized. "Haven't had a fresh pack of cigs in god knows how long," he said with a guilty grin. "Stole it from Merle before I left the trailer. Couldn't help myself."

Beth waved a hand. "Don't bother me none. Otis was a smoker too." She gave a small chuckle. "Must be part of the job description."

Daryl opened his mouth to answer, but before he could there was a loud roar of an engine and Beth's head turned towards the end of the driveway, taking in the black pickup that slowly came up.

"Oh my god," Beth said through her teeth, getting to her feet angrily. Daryl followed suit, watching her, not quite understanding her sudden anger. She looked at him, then back at the truck and said, "Jimmy."

Understanding, Daryl all but rolled his eyes, watching as Jimmy shifted his truck into park and narrowed his eyes at the lanky teenager who emerged from the vehicle. Jimmy was wearing a straw hat and plaid shirt with his hands grasped around a bouquet of flowers wrapped in plastic.

Beth had already started storming over towards him, stomping through the dirt, her face screwed up in frustration as Jimmy came towards her, pathetically smiling at her, like the incident at the hospital hadn't happened, and everything was normal. She watched his face fall as his eyes shifted to Daryl who she knew was behind her and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"The hell are you doin' here Jimmy?" Beth yelled at him. He dropped his arms to his side, the flowers hanging limply in his arm, petals falling into the dirt.

"Him? Hershel hired _him_?" Jimmy spat, staring at Daryl.

"Ain't none of your business Jimmy. You best drive off this property right now," Beth growled at him, pointing down the driveway.

"Beth, _please_. Just _listen to me_."

"Hey!" Daryl yelled from behind Beth. "The lady said get the fuck off the property. You best get the fuck off the property. Or I'll make ya."

"Watch yourself, redneck," Jimmy yelled threateningly. "Why don't I walk right into that house and tell Hershel and Annette that you two were gettin' all cozy together in the hospital, huh?"

Daryl brushed past Beth and marched right up to Jimmy, getting into his face, their foreheads practically touching. Jimmy stood up straight, trying to face Daryl, but the fear was clearly visible in his eyes. Daryl was intimidating, there was no way around it. He was obviously stronger and older and angrier than Jimmy could ever hope to be.

"Beth. Said. Go," Daryl hissed at him, shoving his pointer finger into his chest at each word. His eyes scanned across Jimmy's face, which had fallen, sweat forming on his upper lip. "And if I ever see you back here, I'll break your fuckin' arm."

Daryl backed off then, turning away from both of them and going back towards the side of the house. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Beth stood, looking at Jimmy who looked like he might cry. He threw the bouquet of flowers at her and it landed in the dirt, chrysanthemums crushed by carnations, wilting inside the plastic bunch.

Jimmy was gone in an instant and Beth had a feeling it was the last time she'd see him for a while. She looked up towards the sky which had darkened almost instantly. The sky would open up and drench them at any moment - she could smell it in the sky. Daryl was at the side of the house, leaning against it - a dark shadow against the white siding.

And that was it. She couldn't help herself anymore. She almost ran to him, the emotion inside of her finally bubbling to a head and her heart was racing but she ignored it as she went right up to him, standing squarely in front of him, staring at him, her chest heaving as she sucked in deep breaths of air.

He looked pissed off as he turned to face her - that angry, narrowed glare he always sort of had. He was sweaty from the day, the moisture glistening on his skin, his short hair clinging to his forehead. Dirt had found its way to his face in such a Daryl sort of way and he hadn't made a move to wipe it away. His arms were crossed over his chest and he opened his mouth to say something to her, but she cut him off, quickly wrapping her hands around his neck, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, her lips fitting perfectly between his and she tasted him - smoky and sweet, wanting to devour him as their lips pressed together, lightly at first.

Daryl placed his hands at her waist, a little awkwardly, like he was unsure what to do with them, resting on her hips. She lifted her lips and dove back towards his mouth again, this time hurriedly, not wanting to break away from him for longer than was necessary. And it wasn't just her, crashing her lips into his, he was kissing her back too, getting greedier by the minute. His grip around her waist tightened, pulling her closer to him, their torsos coming together in the most exquisite sort of way.

The rain came then, heavy and hard - she felt it through her clothes as it poured over them, drenching her and Daryl in wetness that clung to her skin, but she couldn't break away from him. His mouth was the best thing she'd ever tasted - his lips, soft and eager, opening slightly, inviting her tongue inside to explore.

She obliged, using the muscle to discover the crevices of Daryl's mouth, grasping her fingers at the back of his neck desperately, as if she couldn't get close enough to him, wanting more as the rain came harder still. She smelled the rain, fresh and earthy around them. Their bodies pressed together, closer still, and she felt his strong chest against her own, solid and muscular through his thin shirt. Their mouths met over and over and over again, frantic to taste more of each other. She could barely breathe, but she couldn't stop kissing him. Being this close to Daryl made her feel something she'd never felt before and she'd realized _this_ was what she'd wanted all along - since the funeral home. Since she'd lost him.

Her hair was wet, sticking to her face as she came up for air, afraid to look at him - but she did, squinting through the rain that came, loudly in her ears, and he was breathing heavily, his mouth swollen from the kiss. He looked surprised, or confused and neither of them spoke - her fingers still around his neck and his hands still around her waist. His eyes were bluer than she'd ever seen them - whether it was from the dirt still smeared on his face or from the hungry desire he was feeling, she couldn't tell, but she was lost in him completely.

The rain fell around them with large _plops_ , heavy drops settling into the dirt all around them and seeping into the threads of their clothes, but neither of them cared. They held each other, their faces still dangerously close, soaked through to the bone, both of them trying to understand what the other was feeling. Daryl made the next move, reaching for her arm, sloppily intertwining their fingers, and pulled her, back towards the door that led to his room and brought her inside, closing the door behind them.

The silence was sudden, the storm disappearing behind them and both struggled to catch their breath. Beth almost felt like she could laugh as she looked at Daryl, drenched with rainwater. He was staring at her shyly, a very distinct smile on his face and she wanted to reach out to him until suddenly there was a loud ring coming from his pocket.

Daryl instinctually reached for his phone, bringing it out from his jeans, squinting at it, wiping some of the wetness away, looking at Beth as if he was asking for permission to answer it. She shrugged, not knowing what else to do, so he answered it with a gruff, "Hello?" and listened to whoever it was on the other line.

"Okay," he said slowly, pausing and then, "I'll be there soon."

He hung the phone up and looked at Beth, his smile dissolving into a frown. "We gotta go," he grumbled.

She looked at him, confused. "What's up?" she asked.

"It's Merle. He's at King County jail. I gotta post bail for him. Can you take me?"

Beth wanted to say no, and scream at him that she wanted to kiss him again, or at least acknowledge what had just happened, but she didn't. "Let me grab my keys," she said instead, turning towards the door.


	13. Chapter 13 - Aftermath

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 13 - Aftermath

 _ **Author's Note:** Oh, you guys are lovely. Thank you SO much for the reviews and follows and favorites as always. I LOVE writing this story! I definitely needed an escape into another world after this weekend's horrific events in Orlando, FL. Hope this lets you guys escape a little too. Fuck, the world is scary. XO's to all of you. Every single one of you. _

_Please review and enjoy!_

 _ **Trigger Warning:** There are domestic abuse themes in this chapter. _

* * *

They were still drenched when they got into the truck, both of them smelling like the rain outside. Beth could still feel Daryl on her lips, the skin around her mouth still tender from the kiss they'd shared. She knew she was avoiding looking at him, and he was avoiding her too, but she wasn't sure why. They'd kissed. What was so wrong about that? She'd wanted it - and he seemed to want it too, so why did everything feel suddenly…awkward?

The wipers came across the windshield, wiping the rainwater away with a _thwuck, thwuck_ sound as Beth pulled down the driveway and onto the road. She was familiar with King County, so she headed in the direction of the town, unable to think of much else besides kissing Daryl. She wondered if he was thinking about kissing her too.

"What's he in for?" Beth asked quietly, trying to break the silence.

"Probably bein' a dick," Daryl responded. "He's usin' again. Merle does a bunch of dumb shit when he's high."

She glanced over at him, and he was looking out the window, his head in his hand, elbow on the ledge of the door, watching the rain. She felt foolish. Of course he wasn't thinking about the kiss - Merle's in jail and everything was all so confusing. What was happening right now might not even be real. It was dumb of her to even dwell on it with everything else that was going on, so she did her best to push it out of her mind.

King County was close enough that the ride didn't feel that long, despite the heavy silence that hung between them. She was used to silence with Daryl, but now, she wished he would say something. Anything.

They came into town, the sheriff's department an unmistakable building. She pulled the car into the parking lot, shifting it into park and pulled the keys from the ignition. Daryl turned towards her. "Just stay in the car," he grumbled, opening his door. "I'll only be a few minutes."

"I'm not gonna stay in the car Daryl," Beth argued, moving to get out with him.

Daryl sort of sighed at her, looking like he didn't have the strength to argue, so they came out into the parking lot together. The rain had let up so that just a light drizzle was coming down now, but Beth's clothes were still drenched and she squelched in her shoes as they came up to the front door.

Politely, Daryl opened the door for Beth letting her enter first and for some reason she hadn't expected it, even though Daryl really was a gentleman. She knew that. It just had been in a different way in the past.

There was a small waiting area to the left with blue, plastic, uncomfortable looking chairs. Beyond that were a few offices, enclosed by glass and long off-white blinds. To their right was a desk and a door, behind which, Beth assumed, were holding cells. There was a wide woman sitting behind the desk, with square glasses up to her eyebrows and hair that looked like a helmet, held in place by a large amount of hairspray. She looked up as Daryl and Beth entered, frowning at them like their presence had immediately inconvenienced her.

"I'll just be a minute," Daryl whispered to Beth, motioning for her to go sit in the waiting area. She did just that, finding a chair to sit in. She watched Daryl as he spoke to the impatient woman behind the desk. She stared angrily at him, nodding as he asked her something. A buzzer sounded, and he walked through the door, disappearing.

The woman at the desk eyed Beth, making her feel uncomfortable, so she toyed with her hair, still damp from the rain. She started creating small braids from the strands, a nervous habit she'd had since she was a child. Her fingers worked tirelessly, flying through her hair, finishing braid after braid, until the door through which Daryl disappeared, opened again and a familiar face appeared - though, to her surprise, it wasn't Daryl.

It was Shane Walsh. The same Shane that had arrived at the farm with Rick, the same Shane who had let all of those walkers out of the barn and the same Shane that had been killed on their land.

He had a big mop of hair on his head - giving him a softer look than he'd had after the Otis incident, but he was still a rough, intense looking guy. Daryl was intense looking too, but it wasn't in a mean sort of way - Shane had an almost scary look about him, like he'd snap your neck if he had the chance.

Following closely behind him, was Lori Grimes, her face worried and tear stained as she followed Shane's footsteps, whispering something up to him, not paying any mind to the people around them.

"Jesus," Shane muttered down to her angrily. "Not here Lori!"

"Shane, please," she pleaded with him as they wandered in front of Beth, heading towards the open offices and entering one of them, flipping on a light. Lori closed the door behind them, so she could no longer hear what they were saying, but the blinds on the windows were still open and neither of them seemed to notice.

She tried focusing on something - anything else than Lori and Shane arguing in the small room between the cracks of the blinds and to her relief, Daryl came storming out of the door, slamming it closed behind him - alone.

Beth looked up at him, her eyebrows raised, questioning him, but as she decoded his face, she knew he was angry and things with Merle probably hadn't gone well.

He deposited himself in the chair next to her, still smelling like rain, looking defeated. Beth hesitated, looking him up and down and then asked, "What happened?"

"He's got fuckin' shit for brains," Daryl said through his teeth, "That's what happened. I'm not bailin' that son'of a bitch out. Fuck him."

"Well, I don't blame you," Beth responded, not sure if it was the right thing to say.

"Yeah?" he looked at her, slightly unsure.

"He's a dick," she echoed his previous sentiments about his older brother as she gave him a small shrug.

Daryl nodded, seething. "He fuckin' is."

"Check it out," she said, sensing that maybe it was best to change the subject, eyeing the office where Shane and Lori stood, talking angrily to each other. "Lori Grimes and Shane Walsh are in there."

Daryl's gaze changed as he looked at the window, recognizing Shane and Lori instantly, watching them, his eyes darting back and forth as the information sunk in. "Shit," he said. "You think she's tellin' him about Rick wakin' up?"

Beth and Daryl sat together, both of them watching the moments unfold. Lori was crying, her hands over her face, trying to get rid of the tears that were falling and Shane was angry, snarling at her. They were close enough to kiss, their faces level, but looked like they wanted to anything but that.

Suddenly, Shane screamed, bringing his hands up, placing them on Lori's shoulders and pushed her, forcefully, so that she fell backwards, over her feet and to the floor.

Daryl was on his feet in an instant, Beth beside him, both of them rushing forward, not thinking about where they were or what was happening around then. Shane turned then, seeing Daryl and Beth's figures come into view through the blinds and his face fell as he scrambled to get Lori to her feet, instantly realizing his mistake.

The door slammed open as Daryl entered the room with Beth on his heels, both of them looking at Lori on the floor, her face in shock as Shane tried to come closer towards her. He reached out a hand for Lori to take, but Daryl growled at him, stepping forward. "Get away from her."

"Hey man," Shane said, putting his hands up, backing up. "She fell."

"She didn't," Daryl said. "You know she didn't."

Lori had retreated on the floor, getting to her knees and Beth came to her side to help her to her feet. She was shaking, leaning on Beth for support as Daryl stood in front of Shane, looking at him menacingly.

Beth held onto Lori tightly, tugging her outside into the waiting area and she unloaded in her arms, sobbing into her shoulder in large heaves. Trying to calm her down, Beth guided her to one of the seats, then returned to the room for Daryl, who wasn't backing down from Shane. Aware of where they were now - in the sheriff's department where Shane was a sheriff's deputy and Daryl was an angry outsider, she knew the best thing to do was walk away and let Rick handle it once he was out of the hospital.

"Daryl," she said his name steadily, entering the room, placing her hand on his arm. His limb was stiff, but it softened at her touch. "Let's go."

"It's a good idea to just get outta here, man," Shane said to Daryl, trying to reason with him.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Daryl growled. "Push around women often? Is that your thing?"

"Daryl," Beth said warningly.

"Listen to your girl," Shane said in his best effort not to sound nervous. "Ain't none of your business."

"You made it my business."

"Daryl!" Beth yelled. "This ain't helpin'. Let's go."

Daryl finally turned towards her, his face screwed up in frustration at leaving Shane, but she could tell he knew it was what needed to happen in this moment.

When the exited the room, Lori was hysterical in the chair, sobbing into her hands. Beth looked at Daryl who was staring at her, his head cocked to the side, like he wasn't sure what to do.

"Lori?" Beth said her name hesitantly, coming towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lori looked up, her face soaked with tears, red and running with black makeup she'd smeared across her cheeks. "Oh!" she said, surprised. "Beth?" From the hospital, right? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my…friend." She looked up at Daryl. Her _friend_. It sounded so casual to her. Too casual. Daryl was more than a friend to her. He was family. Her protector. And they'd kissed. She couldn't stop dwelling on it, his lips, his tongue, moving over hers. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the sensation of him over her mouth float away and turned back to Lori.

"Thank you," she said to both of them. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She looked back at the office where Shane was. He had closed the blinds and shut the door, hiding like a coward in the office.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Daryl grumbled. "I've seen worse." He was trying to make her feel better.

Lori smiled at them kindly. "I've got to get home," she said. "My kids. I've been here too long. They're with the neighbor."

Beth nodded at her. "Of course. You okay to drive?" she asked, concerned.

Lori shook her head. "I'll be fine," she said, getting to her feet. But she was shaking, Beth could see it, so instead of letting her go, Beth offered to drive Lori home.

"Let me take you home. Daryl can follow in the truck behind us. It's no trouble, really."

Lori seemed to accept the offer willingly, nodding ever so slightly as she fumbled for her keys in her pockets, pushing them into Beth's hands. They walked out of the station lazily and down the stairs, towards Lori's car and that's when she saw him.

He was unmistakable, the Governor. Though in this world, he didn't wear an eye patch, his face was still one that made Beth's hair stand up on end.

Philip was sitting in a black 1990 Lincoln town car, his elbow out the window, staring at them as they all walked slowly towards their cars. Beth's eyes met his first, and then she saw his glance turn to Daryl. Beth dropped her grasp on Lori, bringing her hands to her mouth, unable to stop the gasp that came from her throat.

Daryl turned towards her instantly, following her stare to the Governor's car, his eyes narrowing as he understood who he was. Lori was oblivious, still crying into her arms, finishing the walk to her car, but Beth and Daryl had stopped in their tracks.

"It's him," Beth hissed to Daryl, tugging on his bicep that was tense again, his hands balled up into fists.

"I know," was all Daryl responded, dropping his gaze. "He ain't gonna do anythin'. Let him stare at us all he wants. He ain't gonna do anything in front of the sheriff's station." He said it with certainty, but Beth was unsure, nervously following Daryl as he walked ahead, after Lori, opening the passenger door of her car to let her in.

Beth got into the drivers seat, adjusting the sideview mirror so Philip was in her line of vision. He was staring at them still and Beth glared at him with her nastiest stare. He knew. He had to know. Why else would he be following them around, showing up unannounced at the prison where Beth and Daryl were? A thought chilled her to the bone - how did he know they were _here_?

A horn came, familiar and loud, startling her, and she looked up into her rearview mirror to see Daryl in her truck, ready to move. Beth awkwardly reversed Lori's car (a white 2008 Mazda 3) and pulled out towards the road. She felt relief as they drove off down the road, leaving the Governor in their wake. He made no move to follow them.

"Um, where do you live?" Beth asked, relief flooding her as she reached a T in the road.

"Sorry," Lori shook her head, glancing out of the windshield. "Just take a left, we're right up here."

Beth pulled the car up to the curb, parking in front of a white house that Lori had pointed to. "Thanks for drivin' me home Beth, you didn't need to…" Lori trailed off.

"It was no trouble," Beth said quickly with a wave of her hand. "Let me at least get you inside."

Lori started to protest, but Beth got out of the car anyway, eager to see if there was any way she might be able to see Carl and Judith. Even if it was only for a moment, she missed them terribly.

Daryl had parked the car behind her and was leaning against the front of the truck, looking up at the house, his eyes scanning the lawn and squinting to look through the windows, maybe trying to see if he could see the kids too. Beth knew that Carl and Judith were just as good as family to him and he must have missed them just as much as she did.

Lori walked up the stairs to her home slowly with Beth beside her, dragging her heels, like there was a weight attached to her ankles as she came up to the door. Beth wondered what Lori must have been feeling with Shane pushing her - having brought him to bed with her while the man she married was laid up in the hospital.

The front door came open at the turn of Lori's key and they all entered, Beth behind Lori and Daryl behind Beth.

"Tara?" Lori called out into the hall.

A face appeared, familiar, though Beth couldn't place from where - young and sweet, with dark heavy eyebrows and black, pin-straight hair. She shushed quietly, looking down at the baby she held who was screaming in her arms. She looked up at Lori, apologetically, her arms stretching out to hand Lori her child.

Judith.

Unable to help herself, Beth stepped forward, eager to see the baby girl, to just touch her, to be near her. She had spent weeks, no, months with that baby since she'd been born. Lori had been gone. She'd comforted Judith's cries since birth, swaddled her small body as a newborn and slept next to her on the cold nights at the prison when Rick was gone.

And as the days went on, her tiny body grew as Beth had rationed out formula for her, careful to only feed her when was necessary. She'd formed a routine for her, trying to make her life as comfortable as possible in the circumstances they were in. She knew that child inside and out, every fold of her skin, every cry, every whimper, every coo - how to hold her, how to rock her, what songs she liked her to sing.

She was the biggest light in Beth's word in that gray, dreary place they'd stayed. She'd played with her, even taught her to sit up, hold her own bottle and sleep soundlessly through the night. She found herself wondering how good of a mother Lori was in this world, and if she'd held a candle to how Beth had been with that baby, and she felt instant shame rise within her - challenging Judith's own mother. How could she?

But she'd been her mother. The mother Judith never had and she loved that baby as if she was her own, devastated when they'd lost her in the struggle at the prison.

And that's when she knew where she'd seen Tara before. At the prison, with the Governor, at the execution of her father and she started forward towards her, but before she could get any further than she was, Daryl put a hand on her shoulder. Beth looked up at him and he met her eyes knowingly, giving a slight nod because of course he knew who she was too.

Judith continued to cry in Lori's arms, so she threw the baby over her shoulder, so that her face was almost square with Beth's and her crying stopped instantaneously. Lori was digging into her pockets for cash to give Tara, but the sudden suspension of Judith's cries had startled her.

Lori looked over her shoulder at Beth who was still staring at Judith and the baby reached out to her with chubby fingers, leaning over her mother's shoulder, reaching - practically straining, for Beth.

Surprised by the baby's action, Beth took a sharp intake of air as she brought up a hand to meet Judith's and Lori turned slightly, bouncing the baby girl slowly, extending her arms. "Do you want to hold her?" she asked, like she wasn't really sure why she was asking the question and Beth nodded enthusiastically, sliding her hands under Judith's armpits and bringing her small body to her chest.

Judith smelled like pure baby, that clean, beautiful scent you only smelled for the first year of a child's life. It was intoxicating, one of those smells you could smell forever, her wispy hair meeting Beth's nostrils as she inhaled her. She cradled her in her arms, rocking her just a certain way she always did at the prison and Judith cooed happily in her arms.

"Oh wow," she heard Tara say from beside them. "She's been cryin' for hours. You got the baby whisperer here, you do."

Beth smiled over Judith's head at her, then looked towards Lori who smiled sadly at her, turning away with tears in her eyes. "Carl?" she called up the stairs.

Turning towards Daryl, Beth brought Judith's face close to her own, blowing a little bit of air at her, to which she responded to with a grin, two lower teeth visible between her lips. Daryl looked at her and it was like a punch to the gut, the way he looked at Judith, and then looked at Beth, like he wanted to embrace them both with all the love he had. It was like the mask had fallen - the angry, frustrated Daryl would sometimes disappear for moments at a time with these looks her gave her, silent and sweet and lovely.

"Oh wow!" Carl's voice was distinct behind them as he galloped down the stairs, and Beth turned instantly with a wide grin. Carl looked a little older than she remembered him, but some time had passed since she'd seen him last. "She stopped crying! She's been crying since I got home from school."

"Yeah," Beth said softly, brushing Judith's head. "She sure has."

"Who're you?" Carl asked then, looking past her and up at Daryl.

"Uh, I'm Daryl," he replied awkwardly.

"Beth," she whispered a greeting towards him, then looked back at Daryl. "But we should get goin'."

"Aw no, she'll just start crying again!" Carl sighed.

"Carl," Lori said sternly.

He sighed. "Alright."

Beth peeled Judith off of her side, reluctantly placing her back into Lori's hands where she started crying again, instantly. She felt an quick sense of satisfaction as she gave Lori a quick squeeze and headed out the door with Daryl.


	14. Chapter 14 - Hoof Picks and Rick Grimes

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 14 - Hoof Picks and Rick Grimes

 ** _Author's Note:_** _I had a little trouble getting this chapter out, but I ended up being really happy with it. Hope you guys enjoy it too. As always, thank you all for the response to this story! I appreciate every single comment, follow and favorite and I really do love writing these characters and this world. If you've stopped in and enjoyed it (or even if you haven't), please leave a review!_

* * *

They climbed into the truck, Beth's heart in her throat at Judith's reaction to her. She had remembered her. Beth was sure of it.

"She remembered," she whispered aloud, though she knew that Daryl had seen. And he knew. The way that he looked at her, then at Judith, back to Beth - he knew too.

"How could she not?" he asked to nobody. "You were practically her mother."

Beth smiled sadly at him as he said the words, feeling the truth behind them. The thoughts of Lori and what kind of mother she was. But she had a sudden, terrible realization she didn't want to vocalize, but she couldn't help it.

"Does that mean Judith's dead too?"

Daryl wasn't looking at her anymore, he was looking past her, through her window, out at the empty lawn behind her. The skin around his eyes crinkled as he closed his lids, squeezing them shut. He opened them again, quickly. "I don't know."

It was an honest answer, that Beth accepted. Nevertheless, Judith and her and Daryl were here now and this life, whatever it was, seemed to be okay. It was comfortable and normal and safer than anything that baby had ever known. It was better this way, Beth thought, convincing herself as she shifted the truck into drive, slowly steering the truck down the street.

The sun was low in the sky as they drove back to the farm, giving off an orange and pinkish tint that painted the sky beautifully.

"Ain't gonna make it to Atlanta tonight," Daryl commented, looking out the window. "Sorry."

Beth stopped at a stop sign and looked at him. He looked angry. Like he'd dealt with this kind of crap with Merle for years and years on end. And she found herself feeling infinitely sorry for him.

"We'll go tomorrow," she announced with a nod, and he responded with a grunt.

She wondered if they were ever going to talk about the fact that she had kissed him and little did Beth know, Daryl was wondering the same thing.

* * *

The next day came quickly, the sun peeking in through the window. Beth realized she was growing accustomed to waking up in her own bed, no longer reaching for a knife that wasn't there. She still had the nightmares, but when she woke she didn't feel the terrifying fear that had smothered her for two years.

She remembered sometimes, that painful fear she'd felt. It was so real and alarming - the constant danger around them. At first, after she'd woken, she felt empty without the fear filling her up day in and day out. Maybe that was why all her emotions had come out for Daryl - maybe she'd just been unable to focus on it because the fear had consumed her so completely.

Her view from the window gave her visibility across the entire farm, the plot of land looking massive. Daryl was up again, before her. He always was. When they had traveled together, after the prison, Beth often wondered if he ever slept. He just always seemed to be awake.

"Just how I am," he'd say to her in a drawl, after she'd wake from a long bit of sleep.

"Let me keep watch - you need to sleep too," she'd say back to him, wanting to do her part. But he'd never let her. He'd just insist he wasn't tired.

Beth dressed - jeans with a pair of boots, and a sleeveless button down shirt. She tied her hair back and left the mascara off, wanting to go out to the farm to help Daryl with his work. She figured with another set of hands, they could get to Atlanta much quicker.

It was Tuesday and that meant that Hershel was at the veterinary clinic, Annette would be with her usual group of church-goers, Shawn was now taking classes at the local community college and Maggie would be at work - an assistant pharmacist at the local pharmacy. It was just her and Daryl today and Beth was definitely okay with that.

He was in the stables with the horses when she came out, sifting through the bucket of brushes they kept to groom the animals. She watched him as he picked one up, examined it, put it back in the bucket, and did the same with a new one.

"Hi," Beth said, announcing her presence, her arms crossed.

Daryl looked up, surprised at her, dropping the brush he was holding back into the bucket. "Hey."

"Want some help?"

He raised his eyebrows at her, the tug of a smile at his lips. "That'd be good," he responded. "Never groomed a horse before."

Beth smiled at him. "It's easy," she said, walking towards one of the stalls towards one of the handsome thoroughbreds, Nelly.

"Nervous Nelly," Daryl said slowly, as the animal stuck her head out, nuzzling Beth with a loud breath through her big teeth. Beth looked at Daryl who stared apprehensively at the horse.

"How'dya know her nickname?" Beth asked.

"This 'lil lady bucked me off. Back when we was lookin' for Sophia." And Beth remembered then. Daryl was beyond beat up when he'd showed up back at the farm, she winced instantly when she thought about it. He'd pulled an arrow right from his belly, Daryl had told Daddy and Hershel had to stitch up the wound with almost ten stitches. She had no idea how Daryl made it back to the farm that afternoon.

Looking back at Nelly, Beth ran her hands up and down her brown neck, ruffling her short fur against her skin. She grabbed a lead rope from beside the stable door and slipping in next to the horse, she carefully secured it around her neck, leading her out of the stable into the middle of the barn.

She tied the end of the rope around a sturdy pole, which Nelly stood by obediently and joined Daryl by the bucket of brushes.

She rifled through it, taking out a metal hook, pointy at one end, thick on the other, holding it steadily in her right hand, showing Daryl. "This is a hoof pick," she said and he watched her intently as she brought it over to the horse.

"What are you gon' do with that?" he asked, sounding nervous. "Don't look much like a brush."

Beth looked at the pick she was holding. "Well yeah, it ain't a brush. It's for gettin' out all the rocks and dirt from their hooves." She looked at him. "Keeps the horses from goin' lame." Daryl looked confused. "Come on around," she guided him, towards the left side of Nelly by her front leg. She ran her hand gently down the long limb, squeezing her tendon so she'd lift up her hoof.

She caught Nelly's heavy foot, expertly in her hands. It felt heavy, but still familiar and she looked up to make sure Daryl was watching. He was squatting next to her now, taking in her movements - so close their faces were almost touching. She flushed at his closeness, so she turned, bending at her waist, and dug the pick into Nelly's foot, cleaning out dried mud, a few rocks and hay that had caught since she'd last had her hooves picked.

Releasing her hand, the horse placed her hoof back, slowly, on the ground and Beth stood up, straightening her back and handed the pick to Daryl. He took it, moving it between his fingers.

"You try," Beth urged him, pointing to Nelly's back leg. "Just like I showed you."

He stood next to the horse awkwardly, running his large hand down her back leg, just like Beth did, bending with his hand next to her hoof. "Now squeeze," Beth instructed him, and he did as he was told, but Nelly was stubborn and scooted away from him so that he had to drop her leg. He stood up, visibly frustrated, looking at Beth.

"Try again," she urged him on, so he did the same thing, still unable to lift the hoof.

Beth came in front of him and without thinking, she wrapped her arm around the horse's leg, putting her hand over his, guiding him to the tendon he needed to squeeze to lift the hoof. "Right under the big bone here," she told him as they slid their hands down her long leg together, feeling each bone and muscle beneath Nelly's skin.

His mouth was in her hair, close to her ear, so she could hear each breath he took. He was so warm - his muscles strong behind her and she could smell him, sweaty and masculine so close to her body. Her shoulder was at his chest, their arms on top of each other and she felt his hand squeeze under hers, causing Nelly to finally lift her hoof.

He was so close she could actually feel him smile as he caught the horses' foot, and Beth herself smiled, wanting to sink into his body. But she needed to let him have the moment, so she backed away from him instead, staying close to inspect him as he worked.

"Now, the pick," Beth said, leaning forward, her hands on her knees and Daryl nodded, remembering that's what he was holding the hoof for and slowly and carefully, he cleaned the bottom of Nelly's foot, flinging dirt and rocks across the floor.

He let go of the hoof and it landed on the ground solidly. Beth's grin went from ear to ear and before she knew it, Daryl had dropped the pick and he'd grabbed her, his strong hands underneath her chin and he was kissing her frantically. His mouth was all over her face, like he wasn't sure where to put it. He'd pushed her backwards so that her body was now up against the stable door, the wood at her back and his lips finally found hers, working methodically.

The feeling she felt was electrifying. Tasting Daryl - it was even better than she'd remembered. Their saliva combined, tongues dancing in each other's mouths and she gripped his neck, working her fingers up through his hair, kissing him, trying to memorize every moment. Trying to memorize every part of Daryl. His hands had moved to her back, resting on her hips, holding her steady, so forcefully, it was like he was afraid to let go. His lips and tongue were moving so aggressively, it was hard to keep up and she tried to gasp for breath, but he wouldn't let her.

"Daryl!" she finally gasped into his mouth and the kiss slowed down then, their tongues moving back into their own mouths. He held his lips to hers, wet and soft, bringing his hands back up to her neck, then to her cheeks, their noses mashed together, foreheads touching, both coated in sweat. She opened her eyes then, to look at him, but his were still closed. And then, he broke away from her, pushing his hands against the wooden door behind her forcefully, turning sharply towards Nelly to clean the rest of her hooves.

She clung to the stable door, her palms flat against the wood as she stared after him. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Beth was frozen, unsure what to think or how to feel - what to say to Daryl. He'd moved away from her so suddenly, she could still feel his body imprinted over hers. She watched him work, now behind the body of the horse, her eyes stuck on him.

Daryl was unlike anyone Beth had ever known. She'd been a simple girl from a simple farm with a simple family. She'd had a simple boyfriend who always said what he meant, there was no decoding his words or actions in any way. Daryl wasn't like that. He was mysterious and unpredictable at times. Every time Beth felt like she had a good handle on who Daryl was and what he might do, he always succeeded at shocking the hell out of her.

When he returned to the bucket, she found the courage to move away from the wooden door.

"What's this brush?" He broke the silence, looking at her, holding up a black rubber brush she knew all too well. Maybe this was just how he operated.

"It's a curry comb," she said, moving back towards him, Nelly and the bucket, continuing to give her lesson on horse grooming.

* * *

They left for Atlanta when the sun was overhead. Beth knew it was noon without even looking at the clock. It was something she'd learned in the old world.

Daryl toyed with the radio as Beth drove, the route familiar now as she'd made the trip so many times in the past few days. The morning had passed slowly - normally, before they'd cleaned themselves up to make the trip to Atlanta. Beth waited for him to say something about the kiss, but he didn't. But now, with the music quiet and the windows open, the breeze blowing past both of them - she wanted nothing more but to ask him.

The city came into view in the distance, and she finally bubbled over. "Why'd you kiss me?" she spluttered, a little hysterical, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Daryl turned his head, narrowing his eyes at her. "What?"

"In the barn today, why'd you kiss me?" she asked, the initial fear, gone.

"Why'd you kiss me?" he responded quickly.

Her breath caught in her throat. That was fair. She _had_ kissed him first.

Her ears turned crimson and she stared forcefully out at the road. "I just," she hesitated. "Wanted to be close to you." She cringed as she said it, but it was the truth. She'd _needed_ him. She still needed him.

He was silent, cracking his knuckles in the seat beside her. "I like kissin' you," he said after a few minutes, turned away from her, towards the open window.

Beth knew Daryl wasn't good at this kind of stuff - saying how he felt, so this was a lot for him. She sort of thought of him as a cliche in the old world - one of those angry bad boys girls always lusted after. But she came to find that Daryl was different. He was awkward and broken and even though he had a hard, angry shell on the outside, there was gentleness inside of him. She knew it was there. She'd seen it, and wanted more of it.

"I've wanted to kiss you," he said suddenly, "I just didn't know you wanted to kiss me too." And then, after a few moments, a little sadder, "I lost myself when I lost you."

It was raw, emotional Daryl. Words he'd probably never said before, emotion he'd probably never barred to anyone except her and she almost swerved off the road from how much it consumed her.

She shook her head, unable to find words with her tongue, searching for the right thing to say and finally she said, "Well we're together now. I'm glad we're together now. I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

"G-R-I-M-E-S," Beth spelled Rick's last name to the hospital receptionist.

The receptionist nodded as she stared at the computer, much like she had when Beth was here for Daryl. They stood side by side, Daryl bouncing on his heels impatiently and she finally said, "704."

Practically running, Daryl followed Beth to the stairs without asking questions. She thought it might be instinct for him to take the stairs and she realized, as they reached the seventh floor, she still hadn't told him what had happened to her at Grady. He hadn't asked either, waiting for her to come around in her own time.

They burst through the door at the top of the stairs, landing on the familiar floor, navigating to room 704, the door propped open and burst through, together, panting from their journey, their eyes landing on Rick Grimes, tucked into his hospital bed snugly.

Rick looked the same - hard glare with a narrow nose, curly brown hair that disappeared behind his ears. He had a five o'clock shadow on his upper lip and chin and his eyes were wide as they darted back and forth between Daryl and Beth standing in front of him. His lips were parted, but he closed them, almost frowning.

He looked strange, lying down in a bed, staring up at them. Rick had always been in a position of power, demanding or yelling or fighting. He rubbed his eyes with fists, like he was trying to clear his vision to make sure they were really there.

"Daryl?" he said disbelievingly. "Beth? But how?"

"Rick." Daryl said his name first, rushing forward towards his bed. Beth followed apprehensively behind him.

"You're both _alive_?" Rick said, his eyes practically bulging from his head.

"We're alive," Daryl confirmed.

"Where the hell are we?" he asked. "They're tellin' me I'm in Grady. In Atlanta. Bunch of people, bustlin' around like everything's normal. Tellin' me I woke up from a coma. Lyin' to me, sayin' Lori's been by with," he swallowed, hard, "Judith, and Carl."

Daryl nodded. "They ain't lyin'," he said slowly.

"Whatta mean they ain't lyin'?" Rick repeated his words.

"I know it's hard to believe, but…" Daryl struggled to find his words, "The walkers are gone. Things seem to be back to how it was before the turn." It was simple enough, Beth thought. Start with simple. Rick seemed a little hysterical.

Rick reached underneath his covers, his eyes wide and scared, pulling out a small piece of fabric and Beth recognized it instantly. "What about this?" Rick said loudly. "What does this mean?"

It was Michonne's headband. Multi-colored, with deep purple, reds and blues, Beth had seen her wear that around her forehead for months. It completed her, kept her hair away from her face and collected the sweat that formed on her face. Rick held it in his hands like it was the most precious thing he'd ever seen.

"Michonne's?" Daryl questioned, though Beth thought he probably knew the answer. They'd woken with things of each others - it must have meant something.

"Is she here?" Rick said, hope dripping from his voice and Beth looked at him sadly, shaking her head.

Rick's face fell then, though he didn't cry or express emotion, he just crumpled the fabric up in his hands and stuffed it beneath the covers again.

"I'm dreaming," Rick said, throwing an arm over his eyes. "I'll wake up. I gotta wake up."

"You won't," Daryl said simply, pulling a chair from the side of the room up towards the bed, as Beth had done in Daryl's room when he'd woken up. "I thought the same thing." He looked at Beth, then back at Rick who was peering up at him over his arm. "I buried Beth. Don't you remember? We buried her?"

Rick nodded slowly, his arm coming down so that he could look at her. She felt like she was on display, but stood proudly anyway, like she wanted to prove how very real she was. "We did. That's why it can't be real." He looked back at Daryl. "And you?" he said. "I watched you die too."

Daryl's eyes widened at his proclamation. "You did?"

Rick nodded slowly. "Negan."

The name sent shivers through Beth's bones, though she didn't know him, she knew _of_ him and what he'd done to Daryl.

"It was a long battle with him," Rick said sadly, looking away from them, towards the empty wall of the room. "It's been a long battle since the beginning. " He started to shake his head, bringing his chin to his chest, his body shuddering as he started to cry.

Daryl didn't pry, finally sitting in the chair, nodding, understandingly and Beth stood behind him, her hands in her pockets, feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness. The silence was necessary now, as Rick cried and Daryl and Beth let him. Minutes ticked by, and the moment seemed unnaturally poetic until another voice rang out into the room.

"What are ya'll doin' here?" Beth looked up, recognizing the voice instantly. It was Lori Grimes, standing in the doorway, Judith on her hip and Carl at her side.


	15. Chapter 15 - Another Life

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 15 - Another Life

 _ **Author's Note:** You guys! You guys are amazing! Thank you for the support and wonderful, positive, lovely comments on this story. This always seems like overkill but the reviews, favorites, follows are all so, so, so appreciated. THANK YOU! Hope you all enjoy this chapter too!_

* * *

Beth looked back at Rick who was looking at Daryl who turned in his chair to catch Beth's eyes. His mouth was slightly open and she could see him straining to think. _A fucking excuse, think up a fucking excuse god damn it_ , she could hear him say in his head.

"We, uh," Daryl started, turning back towards Lori, "We were just stoppin' by to see Rick. Mr. Grimes. Officer Rick…Grimes." He stumbled over his words. Beth saw the tips of his ears flush.

Rick spoke next. "Yeah, Daryl and I - we go way back." He threw his hand in the air with a sweeping motion to show Lori it was no big deal. "Classmates. In high school."

Beth looked at Lori who had cocked an eyebrow, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two men. The lie was thick, anyone would be able to see that, but Lori seemed to accept it, coming into the room.

"Okay," she said slowly giving a small shrug. "Nice of you to come by," she nodded towards Daryl. "Nice to see you again Beth."

Beth nodded at her and Daryl stood up so quickly he almost knocked the chair over, offering it to Lori who clutched Judith to her chest protectively. Beth wondered if it was because she felt threatened by her. It was a horrible thought, but it stuck there as Lori came to sit in the chair. Judith smiled instantly at Beth and she had the sudden urge to ask Lori if she could hold her, but held herself back, not wanting to create a scene.

Carl ran in after his mother, his eyes shimmering with eagerness as he took in Rick's open eyes.

"Dad!" he cried, lunging at his father.

"Careful!" Lori shouted after him as Carl almost dove into the bed. He stopped short, glaring at his mother and instead gave Rick a strained hug, squeezing his small fingers into his shoulders. Rick clasped him on the back and Beth heard him release a soft sob as he hugged his son.

"Well, we better be goin'," Beth said awkwardly, moving for the door.

"Wait!" Rick called after her, releasing Carl.

Carefully, Beth came over towards the bed. "What's up?"

Rick looked at Lori then back at Beth. "Do you think you and Daryl could find out where the owner of that headband lives? You know," he cleared his throat, "so I can look into it." His eyes shifted over to Lori again. "For work," he added for emphasis.

Beth nodded, understanding. Michonne. He wanted her to find Michonne.

"Of course," she said to Rick, and then, "See you," to at all of them, blowing a kiss to Judith. She thought Lori might have scowled at her as she did it, but Beth ignored her. Daryl gave a half-hearted wave to them all before they exited the hospital room.

As they left, they heard Lori speaking behind them. "Rick," she was saying in a low voice. "This is Judith."

Daryl closed the door, both hands on the knob to tug it shut. "That is not a room I'd want to be in right now," he said with a small grin and Beth smiled back at him in agreement.

* * *

When Beth and Daryl got back to the farm, there was another car in the driveway with an ugly, red "Pizza King" car topper situated on the roof. Well that was strange. Beth thought everyone would have still been out by the time her and Daryl had returned.

"Someone order pizza?" Daryl asked.

"I think it's Glenn," she said, looking towards the house, then back at Daryl who nodded.

"Right. I remember him mentioning bein' a pizza guy." He rubbed his face, the skin from his hand making a scratching noise through his short beard. Beth stared at him - his jaw, his chin, his hands. Warmth filled her body and she forced herself to look away.

They climbed out of the car and came into the house together, the screen door snapping shut behind them. Then, Beth heard a yelp, a scuffle and shuffling feet in the kitchen.

"Maggie?" she questioned, coming into the kitchen that opened into the dining room, with Daryl behind her.

Beth stopped in her tracks as she took the scene in before her and Daryl. Maggie and Glenn were in the dining room, standing next to each other with horrified looks on their faces. Clothes trailed across the floor, finally ending at their bare feet.

They were naked.

Her older sister had grabbed the tablecloth from the table and wrapped it around herself, giving Glenn a pathetic amount of fabric from the end of it to barely cover himself with and Beth gasped, retreating back into the hallway, trying to focus her eyes on anything else but them.

"Oh my GOD, Maggie!" she yelled, pushing Daryl away from the scene. "We _eat_ in that room!"

"Sorry," Maggie groaned. "I thought you were out!"

Beth pushed past Daryl and out the front door of the house, her face hot. She heard him follow her, letting out a low laugh. "See things haven't changed much with them?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know," Beth said, waving him away. "Ugh," she said, sticking her tongue out. "I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, it's just your sister," Daryl said with another laugh, sitting on the porch steps. "The amount of times I walked in on Merle screwin' some girl, pfft," he said lackadaisically.

"Gross," Beth replied, sitting next to him. "My daddy would freak if he knew Maggie was havin' sex in his own dining room." She shook her head, laughing to herself at the imagined reaction Hershel would have had if ever found out.

"Maggie was gonna have a baby, you know," Daryl said suddenly. "In the old world. Before I left. Glenn and her got an ultrasound and everythin'."

She had to process the words for a minute. A baby? Ultrasound? Maggie was pregnant? Beth put her chin to her shoulder and looked at Daryl, her blue eyes wide. "What?" she asked slowly, eyes steady on his face.

Daryl looked at her. His words had been accidental - his face said it all. He hadn't thought before he'd spoken. Maybe he thought she wouldn't think twice about it. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, his eyes scanning her face. "I didn't think. Don't wanna - didn't mean to make you upset."

Tears again. Beth didn't know how she kept crying so much because it seemed like there shouldn't be any left. They rolled out of her eyes, fat and warm, creating a trail of wetness on her cheeks. "A baby?" she whispered, wiping her face on her bare shoulder. "Maggie and Glenn were gonna have a baby?"

Daryl nodded and she relived the night at the house they'd burned down in the woods. "I thought Maggie and Glenn would have a baby," she had said to Daryl, feeling stupidly naive in the moment. The moonshine had created a fog around her brain and though she felt light and carefree, the sadness was something that couldn't be suppressed with liquor.

He surprised her again with a hand on her lower back. Not low enough where it was suggestive, but in the right place where she was comforted by it. So she leaned her whole body against him, putting her head on his shoulder and they sat there for a while, just being together, staring out towards the barn.

When the screen door opened again and Maggie came out with Glenn trailing behind her guiltily, his face the color of a strawberry, Daryl stood up abruptly.

"Hi," he said in his gruff voice, holding out his hand to Glenn. "I'm Daryl. Ranch hand."

"Glenn," he introduced himself. "And I'm _really_ sorry."

Daryl waved a hand. "Ain't nothin' to apologize for."

Maggie looked at her sister, grabbing her shoulder forcefully, pulling her away from the two men to the side of the porch. "Beth?" she whispered uncertainly.

Under any other circumstances, Beth would have reprimanded Maggie for tugging on her so roughly. For being naked in the dining room. For having sex with a guy she'd just met. But the thought of Maggie being pregnant - the thought of her having a baby in the old world was too much to process or understand as once being real.

"What?" she asked her sister, tears still in lingering in her eyes.

"You can't be so upset about this. It wasn't what it looked like!" Maggie exclaimed. "Okay maybe it was," she sounded defeated, "But Glenn, he's a _really_ good guy," Maggie rambled. "You're not gonna say anything, are you?"

"Huh?" Beth asked, trying to pay attention. She was still lost in her own thoughts of a niece or a nephew of her very own.

"About, you know," her eyes shifted beyond Beth over to Glenn who was talking to Daryl about his job. "What you _saw._ " Maggie strained the last word.

"Oh!" Beth said, realizing what Maggie was saying. "Sure, I mean, no," she shook her head. "I won't say anythin'. Promise."

"Phew," Maggie breathed a sigh of relief, hugging her sister quickly. Beth could smell some of Glenn's cologne that lingered on her neck. "Thank you Bethie, really, you're the best."

Beth shrugged. "It's no big deal," was all she said.

"Okay," Maggie responded, looking a little suspicious. "Well that was easier than I thought it'd be." She smiled at Beth and then called, "C'mon Glenn." He looked up at her and nodded. "Gotta get back to work," she commented casually.

"Oh god," Beth wailed, rolling her eyes at her older sister. She'd taken Glenn to their parents house to have a quickie on her lunch break. It was so very _Maggie_ of her.

Maggie and Glenn left, clambering down the porch stairs and into the car, giggling to each other. They had stars in their eyes when they looked at each other and Beth wondered if that's how she looked when she looked at Daryl. Was that how Daryl looked when he looked at her? All of the sudden the word _love_ echoed in her mind.

She had no idea where had come from, so she went into the house, as if walking away from what she had seen would remove it from her mind. Daryl followed her into the living area where she sat on the couch.

"Good thing that wasn't awkward," Daryl joked.

"Right," Beth said sarcastically. "Definitely not."

"I'm really sorry," Daryl said sincerely, and she looked up at him. He felt bad. "It wasn't my place to say anythin' about Maggie and how things were."

"Stop apologizin'," she responded. "Don't matter now anyhow." And she meant it. It didn't matter. After being in the new world for some time, it was pretty clear to Beth that this was where she was and she wouldn't be going back to how things were. There was no use mourning over something she never had. And despite the fact that she would have loved to see Maggie and Glenn have a baby of their own, this was okay with her for right now.

* * *

Glenn also came over for dinner that night and they all ate in the dining room where Beth and Daryl had found him and Maggie earlier than day, stark naked. Regardless, Beth hadn't lost her appetite - Annette made a huge pot of chili with fresh cornbread and she couldn't help but scarf down her entire dinner.

Dessert was a fresh apple pie with vanilla ice cream that Beth had helped her mother churn from fresh cream and sugar. The group demolished that too, leaving nothing but empty plates and dirty forks. Maggie and Glenn were in charge of clean up, so when Daryl left to go outside, Beth followed him moments later.

He had disappeared behind the house, to his own small door that led to his small room. There was a single light that illuminated the three steps that guided to the doorstep and Daryl sat on the second one. As she walked up to him, he brought a flame to life with a lighter to ignite the end of his cigarette that sat between his lips, inhaling and exhaling deeply, the puff of smoke drifting off into the night breeze.

"Just think, few weeks ago we were eatin' snakes," Beth said, coming to sit next to him.

"Hah," Daryl said with a small grin that was gone in an instant. "I much prefer your Mom's cookin' over my mud snakes," Daryl replied, taking another drag.

Their shoulders were touching and Beth was closer than she needed to be to him, but she didn't mind and he didn't seem to either. She liked being close to Daryl. Something about it felt normal. Like they were meant to always be close. Even though Daryl wasn't an affectionate sort of person, Beth found that she couldn't help herself.

"Feels like another life, don't it?" Beth asked him seriously. "Runnin' from the prison?" She looked at Daryl who nodded, continuing to smoke, ashing the burnt tobacco on the bottom stair.

"It _was_ another life," he reminded her.

"Yeah," she looked up at the sky. "I guess it was."

"I was thinkin'…" Daryl started to say, "We should pay the Governor a 'lil visit once Rick gets outta the hospital. I think he knows somethin' we don't."

The warmth from the night - the pleasantness of dinner, of things being normal, of being close to Daryl - disappeared from Beth instantly. She found herself feeling almost annoyed that Daryl had even brought it up. She sort of wished they could just pretend that this was how things always were and forget all that had happened in the past.

But she knew they couldn't. She still remembered and Daryl still remembered and deep inside, she still longed for answers. And now with Rick knowing too, she supposed she couldn't just abandon their quest to understand what was happening.

"I think you're right," Beth said finally, in agreement. "We should go see him."

Daryl let out a breath, like he was relieved she agreed, finally finishing his cigarette and extinguishing it with the toe of his boot in the dirt. "You know, it's funny - Maggie and Glenn together here."

"Why's that?" Beth asked him.

"They were both still alive when I left the old world. At least as far as I know. Don't seem like either of them remember, but they still somehow found each other. Just interestin' is all."

"Hmm," Beth said thoughtfully. "Guess they were meant to be together. No matter what the circumstances were. True love?" she suggested.

Daryl nodded, clenching his jaw and looking at little sad as he rolled over her words in his mind. Beth studied him, sensing his mood shifting.

"You think we woulda met if we didn't know each other from before?" he asked, not looking at her.

Beth had to think for a minute about what he was asking her. She thought about how she viewed Daryl when he first came to the farm. How he grew over time. How things were when Merle was around. How things were when it was just them together.

"Yeah, I do," she said firmly, meaning it.

He turned his head towards her and she could smell him, his breath - cigarettes, the sweetness from the apple pie and ice cream, and the underlying scent that was purely Daryl. "You mean that?" he asked.

Beth nodded, and he leaned forward then, a little apprehensively, bringing his face close to hers so that their noses were almost touching. She looked at him - really looked at him, their eyes level, and she felt like she was almost falling into them, his strikingly beautiful blue eyes, that held a world of secrets, and pain and warmth and _love_ \- there is was again, that word.

It stuck with her, as she leant forward, meeting his lips with her own. The kiss was soft and gentle, unlike the other ones they'd shared before. Delicate. She closed her eyes as she kissed him, bringing her hands up to his face, wanting to feel more of him, her fingers gliding over the coarse hair of his beard as she tasted him.

She felt his hands at her back and they slowly made their way up past her neck, tangling through her hair. The softness and gentleness of the kiss melted away and it became much more passionate, their lips grasping at the others, tongues probing timidly, finding their way into each others' mouths. Beth ran her hands towards his neck and pulled him closer to her, if it was even possible. She wanted more of him, always.

And then, just like he had done at the barn, Daryl broke away from her and stood up, moving towards the door.

"I should go to bed," he said. Beth stared at him, narrowing her eyes. His mouth was still swollen red from their kiss. The kiss that _he_ had initiated.

He turned then and made his way through the door, letting the screen close behind him and Beth watched him with her mouth slightly open.

"No," she said standing up, brushing her hands against her jeans. She went to the door, pulling it open and stepped inside. "No," she repeated, louder this time.

He stopped, turning towards her, frowning. "What?" he said, a little miffed.

"You don't get to do this Daryl."

"Do what?" he asked genuinely.

"This!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands out in front of her. "You don't get to kiss me and just walk away like it didn't happen. You don't get to do that after _everything_ we've been through."

"Beth," he said quietly, looking at his feet.

"What is this to you?" she asked him, not realizing she was wondering until she had asked the question.

"What is what?"

"This!" she shouted. "Us!" Inwardly, she groaned, hating how she sounded. Needy. Like Jimmy. She shook her head then and took a deep breath. "I'm just confused."

They stared at each other for a minute. Beth was conscious of her shoulders moving up and down as she tried to catch her breath after her outburst. Daryl wasn't saying anything. He never said anything. He was so fucking confusing.

"I don't know," Daryl finally said. "I'm no good for you Beth."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned, stepping towards him. He took a step backwards from her and it was like a punch in the gut.

He looked Beth up and down, then glanced back to his feet. "I already told you," he said heatedly. "In this world, in the old world. I'm not someone you wanna be with. It's not like we're meant to be together - like Maggie and Glenn. We come from two different worlds. You deserve better."

"We're not meant to be together?" Beth said angrily. "How can you say that?" She reached into her back pocket to pull out the bandana she'd carried around since she woke up in Grady and waved it at him. "What about this, huh?" she asked.

"What's that matter now?" Daryl asked fiercely. "We're not in the old world anymore. I can't give you nothin' now. Not in this world. Don't got nothin' but the clothes on my back."

"I don't care about that Daryl," Beth argued. "I don't need anythin'. I wanna be with you. I don't care about money or _things_ or whatever you think I'm supposed to care about. I care about what's in here." She placed her hand over her heart.

He looked up then and stared at her. His handsome face was still, but she could see the sadness slip from his eyes as her motion became clear to him, so she stepped forward again and this time he didn't move away.

"In here," she was finally close enough to touch him, so she placed her hand over his heart and he let her, bringing his hands up to meet hers. They were warm and large over hers, but fit perfectly. Protectively. "I know what's in here Daryl. That's what I care about."

Daryl brought his hands up to her face and his forehead to hers and leaned against her with his eyes closed, kissing her with delicate precision, their lips barely meeting. It was so intimate and in that moment she thought she felt something release within him - the debilitating fear that he somehow wasn't enough for her was gone.

* * *

A child was crying.

She'd had this dream often. Andre's cry haunted her and she would wake, like she normally did, yelling, "Peanut?" But his cry would drift off, lost in the distance. And she was never able to find him.

Only this time, it wasn't disappearing. It wasn't getting softer. It was getting stronger, and deeper, like the cry had aged years. And then she heard him, to the side of her. "Mama?" he whispered. "Ma?"

She opened an eye.

His face appeared, years older than the last time she'd seen it. Tight curls, cocoa skin, wide, curious brown eyes brimming with tears as they examined her face. "Andre?" she said his name and he nodded enthusiastically.

It was a dream. It always was a dream. It had to be a dream. But the world was swimming into view now and Michonne recoiled, her vocal chords vibrating from her screams.


	16. Chapter 16 - Details

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 16 - Details

* * *

When morning came again, Beth scrambled out of bed, eager to see Daryl. She'd known him for what felt like a decade, but there was a certain newness to being with him now. Something had shifted between them. She'd finally cracked the shell that surrounded him, just enough so she could slip in. She felt a certain level of pride at that. She got to him, that Daryl Dixon and she smiled at herself in the mirror as she washed her face that morning.

To Beth's disappointment, Shawn had taken Daryl out to get a few things for the farm, according to Maggie, so instead, she did what she'd promised Rick and looked for any details on Michonne that she could find.

As she sat down to her desk in her room, she realized she didn't even know Michonne's last name. How odd, she thought to herself. She'd spent close to a year with Michonne - she was like family and now, she realized, she barely knew any details of her old life, not even her last name. Things like that just hadn't mattered in the old world.

Apprehensively, she typed "Michonne, Georgia" into the search engine she'd brought up and hovered her finger over the return button. How many Michonne's could there be in Georgia, really?

The results filtered and to Beth's surprise Michonne's photo came up rather quickly. She was dressed in a tight gray crop-top, baggy pants and sneakers, with short hair, her wide smile radiating throughout her face. Beth stared at her - she couldn't help herself. She looked so beautiful and happy and lovely. She had always know Michonne as a strong woman - god, she had almost been afraid of her at one point. But this photo - it showed her in an entirely new light.

She clicked on the photo which brought her to an article and she read through it curiously:

 _Michonne Fournier, CEO and Founder of_ ** _Danser Studios_** _, has always been passionate about dance."It's important that we as humans, at any age, are able to express ourselves through movement of the body. It's what inspired me to open our first studio," says Ms. Fournier, a classically trained ballet dancer. Danser Studios is one of the most successful dance studios in Georgia to date, offering dance classes for all age groups. Ms. Fournier opened her first studio in Alpharetta, Georgia, where she still resides, and has since opened five more studios over the past two years across Northern Georgia. Fournier hopes to soon expand even further in the years to come._

The article continued on, but Beth stopped there. Michonne as a dancer. It made sense. Tall, limber, graceful, strong - stealthy. Beth was surprised she hadn't seen it before. She scanned the article again, to the town they'd mentioned. Alpharetta. That was where they'd head next, so they could find Michonne. To see if she remembered.

* * *

When Beth returned to the farm from work, the air was hot and humid. She barely turned the air conditioning on in the truck, but today was one of those days she'd cranked it up to full blast, letting the cold air relieve her body heat.

The fields were empty as she found a spot to park and hopped out into the driveway. She thought Shawn and Daryl probably headed inside early because it had been so damn hot. Without thinking, Beth tried to straighten her blonde hair so it didn't look like she'd worked all morning which was pretty stupid, she realized, because she _had_ worked all morning.

She was getting all worked up about Daryl and she wished she wouldn't. She wished the tightening in her chest would subside. She wished she didn't want to pounce him every time she saw him.

Daryl's voice echoed through the hall as she walked into the front foyer and Shawn's followed behind it. They were talking like they were old friends. She smiled, pulling the screen door closed behind her. It was like Daryl was part of the family now, and she had to say, she didn't hate it.

"You like baseball?" Shawn was asking Daryl.

Daryl grunted in response. "Yeah, it's alright, I guess. Don't watch it religiously or nothin'." Beth snorted. He was being nice. She knew instantly Daryl knew nothing about baseball.

"Oh, well, that'll change. Me and my dad, we're big Braves fans. You'll gotta start watchin' with us."

"Daryl's too nice to say he don't wanna sit and yell at the TV with you and Daddy," Beth said, coming into the kitchen, smiling at her brother.

Shawn looked up at her and frowned. "Ah Beth, you wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand what?" Hershel strode into the room next, with a tall glass of lemonade, taking a seat at the table next to Daryl. He was still dressed in his work clothes, his lab coat slung over the back of the chair he sat in.

"Our obsession with the Braves," Shawn said, turning towards their father.

Hershel nodded knowingly. "Ah," he said, after taking a sip of lemonade. "You a Braves fan?" Hershel turned to Daryl.

"Why not?" Daryl shrugged.

"Well, you are now," Hershel said, giving Daryl a solid pat on the back. "How's it goin' out on the farm?"

"Good, Daryl's a quick learner. We got a lot done today, even though it was hot as the devil outside," Shawn replied. "We got ourselves a good one."

"Glad to hear it," Hershel said, giving Daryl a proud nod.

Beth watched as Daryl looked down, into his lap, nodding at the praise, uncomfortably. He didn't like being flattered in any way, shape or form - Beth had understood that about him for a while. But, he'd made some progress since the beginning, she supposed. He no longer stormed out of the room or became angry at positive praise. He was beginning to accept that maybe, just maybe, he could be _someone_. He could be _something_. In any world he lived in.

The sound of tires on the dirt outside roused the group, and Hershel stood from the table to go to the door. Beth, Daryl and Shawn followed him and outside in the driveway was a King County police car.

Rick Grimes climbed out of the vehicle in his brown sheriff's deputy uniform, the hat that Carl had carried around with him at the prison situated professionally on his head. His beard was trimmed, his hair much shorter and he looked polished and clean. Miles different than Beth had ever seen him.

"Howdy," Hershel said, quickly coming down the front steps, sticking out his hand to shake Rick's. "What can we do for you?"

"Hi there, I'm Rick Grimes," Rick said. "Here to see Daryl," he shifted his gaze towards him. "One of my oldest friends."

He came over to embrace Daryl with a hug and Daryl accepted it, though uncomfortably so. Beth wasn't sure Daryl and Rick had ever hugged. They never really had a reason to. So this, was very strange. Almost giggle worthy, so Beth bit her lip to hold a laugh back as she watched Daryl clasp Rick on the back awkwardly.

"And Beth," Rick looked at her and her heart felt like it stopped in her chest, wondering what Rick was going to say next, "who helped my wife Lori the other day with our youngest daughter Judith at the store," he lied very convincingly. "Couldn't get her to calm down and Beth jumped in - sang to her. Lori was so appreciative." Beth imagined that even if that did happen, Lori would be anything _but_ appreciative.

Hershel looked back at his youngest daughter who smiled brightly at him to enhance the lie. "I was hoping I could have them both over to my house for dinner tonight?" Rick asked Hershel. "Haven't seen Daryl for a while and want to pay Beth a thank you."

Hershel nodded at him. "Quite kind of you Rick. I think that'd be just fine, as long as Beth and Daryl are up for it."

"Yes!" Beth replied a little too quickly and Rick shot a warning glance at her. She closed her mouth then and toed the ground with her shoe. "I mean, that sounds lovely."

"It'll be great to see Lori and the kids," Daryl replied, sounding way more persuasive than Beth had.

Rick placed his hands on his hips and smiled widely at all of them. "Great, well that's settled. Be over around five?"

"We'll be there," Daryl grunted in response.

Without another word, Hershel, Shawn and Daryl turned to go back towards the farm house and Rick moved to get back into his car. Beth glanced at the men who were caught up in conversation, then back towards Rick. "Hey, Rick," she hissed, coming around to the drivers side door of his car.

He looked up at her. "Hey Beth. Hope that was okay. Wasn't sure how else Hershel would've been convinced to let you come by," he chuckled. "And I reckon you, Daryl and I have a lot to catch up on?"

"Yeah, it'll be great," Beth responded quickly, waving her hand. "Listen, I found Michonne. She's in Alpharetta. I just…" she hesitated, "wanted you to know."

Rick's face changed then. It fell, his eyes widening with longing, his cheeks sagging, lips falling into a frown. He nodded at Beth, but looked away, towards the car. "Thanks Beth," he said. And then, a side of Rick she hadn't seen before emerged. Confusion. Uncertainty. "Do you think she remembers?" he asked her.

Beth hadn't been prepared for the question. "Yes," she said immediately, looking at Rick. He reached for the door handle of the car. "I don't know," she said then, re-thinking her answer, "I hope so." It was the honest answer and he looked back at her, appreciating it.

"See you later Beth," he said, not acknowledging her response, and opened the door, started the car and drove down the driveway.

* * *

Daryl and Beth drove to the Grimes house in silence. Beth couldn't stop running her fingers through her hair or tapping her fingers against the steering wheel nervously. She hated to admit it, but she was anxious.

"You nervous?" Daryl asked her with a small smirk. He was dressed in a plain black shirt and fresh blue jeans. He had showered before they left and Beth tried to focus on anything but that clean, soapy smell that radiated off of him.

"No," Beth said steadily, turning down the street where the Grimes lived. "Just excited." She pulled the truck to the side of the road and parked in front of the house.

"You're a terrible liar, you know," Daryl said, looking at her.

Beth pulled the keys from the ignition, turning her head towards him. "I don't like lyin'," she said, very honestly. "I mean what I say."

"I know you do," Daryl said turning away from her. "Like that about you." Then he opened his door and climbed out.

Her ears turned red at that, and she tried to ignore the flutters in her belly from his words, but nothing would settle, so instead she crossed her arms and met Daryl at the bottom of the stairs and climbed up towards the front door beside him. It felt weirdly normal, being here with Daryl, though she knew it was anything but.

When they reached the door, Daryl rang the bell and they heard it echo inside the house. There was a sound of shuffling feet, someone smaller running to the door, and it swung open to reveal Carl. He grinned at the two of them. "Hi!" he said. "Come on in."

The Grimes' house was simple and quaint, exactly how Beth would have pictured Rick and Carl and Lori and Judith's house to be, if it hadn't been for the apocalypse. As they headed down the hall towards the kitchen, there were photos, framed in gold, decorating the walls. Rick and Lori's wedding day. A baby with rosy cheeks that could only be Carl. A family portrait before Rick fell ill and before Judith was born.

Then at the end, a happy Lori, holding infant Judith in her arms. Beth stopped at that one, staring. She knew she shouldn't, that it seemed strange she was so captivated by it, but she couldn't help herself. It was another one of those cruel things, about the world before. No photos to remember. No proof that things had happened.

Judith looked small and tiny, her fingers curled up over the blanket that covered her in the photo. The fabric was white and fluffy, nothing like the prison blankets the group had found to wrap her up in. And Beth smiled, thinking that this was the life Judith truly deserved - this life with fuzzy blankets and Lori looking down at her lovingly.

"Nice photo, huh?" Rick's hand was on her shoulder and she spun to face him. He smelled fresh, light cologne on his neck.

She was startled, looking up at him with a sheepish grin. "Yes. Judith is beautiful," Beth replied. "I love babies."

"Come on in, you two," Lori's voice came from the kitchen, into the hallway, directed at Beth and Daryl who were still hovering in the hallway. The obeyed her command, coming into the kitchen. It was white, clean and smelled of lemons. Judith was situated in a highchair, eating Cheerio's, Lori was at the stove, stirring a pot, and Carl had raced back to the kitchen table to sip a soda.

"What can I get you - beer, wine, soda?" He winked at Beth. She was suddenly reminded of her age. It had escaped her, a few times - her age in this world. She wasn't even old enough to drink. She hadn't been the day Daryl had showed her the house full of moonshine either, but that hadn't mattered much at all. Laws and rules - all of that had gone straight out the door. But now - now, was different.

"I'll take a beer," Daryl grunted and Beth was suddenly very aware of Daryl's age. She didn't know how old he was, and she'd never really thought to ask. She knew he was _older_ \- of course he was, but how much older, she didn't know. He'd had a bit of gray in his beard at the prison and after, but Beth had never really dwelled on it. Even after the butterflies came and were gone, she just didn't think about it too much.

But now, things were different. She thought maybe people would raise an eyebrow to her and Daryl kissing. She thought maybe it would be inappropriate. And then she thought maybe she was thinking too much and asked Rick for a root beer instead.

* * *

Dinner was pasta with chicken and a creamy alfredo sauce and Beth thought it was pretty delicious.

When dinner was done, Lori brought Judith up to bed and Carl disappeared to the den to watch some TV and the rest of them cleared the dishes to be cleaned at the sink. Rick washed while Beth dried and Daryl leaned against the kitchen counter, taking sips of his Yuengling.

Daryl glanced around, making sure they were alone before he said, "Beth and I, we've seen the Governor hoverin' around."

Rick looked over his shoulder at his friend, then back at Beth who nodded sadly. "Talked to him?" Rick asked.

"I did," Beth said quietly. "He came into the shop."

"We think he knows more than he's lettin' on," Daryl said firmly. "Thinkin' we might want to pay him a visit. He might have some…answers."

Rick nodded, looking back at his soapy hands in the sink.

"Aw, thanks ya'll," Lori's voice echoed through the kitchen and the three of them acknowledged her as she entered the room.

"It's the least we could do for such a delicious dinner," Beth said kindly, drying a plate and placing it to the side.

"It was great havin' you all," Lori started to say, but before she could finish there was a rapid knock at the door. It was loud and hurried, the fist clearly made from a strong arm.

Lori stiffened instantly, like she knew the knock and she looked at Rick who glanced towards the front of the house, unperturbed.

He moved to wipe his hands from the sink, but Lori moved first. "I'll get it," she said, strained.

Daryl glanced at Beth who shrugged her shoulders and Lori disappeared down the hall. They heard the door open, a thud of new feet entering the hallway and low voices talking. The second one was much deeper than Lori's, and then - there was shouting.

Rick took action immediately, leaving the kitchen for the hallway, wiping his hands on his jeans, and Daryl sighed deeply following him. Their night had been simple and fun - things feeling relatively normal, how they should feel, but nothing ever lasted, Beth thought, as she followed them towards the front foyer of the house.

It was Shane and he was visibly upset. Maybe even a little drunk, Beth thought, as she watched him stare longingly at Lori, then back, angrily, at Rick. His eyes were bloodshot, narrowed and moist with tears - like he'd been crying before he'd gotten here.

"That's my daughter up there," Shane was hissing at Lori, pointing up the stairs. "If you won't admit that I was a father to her as much as I was, then I'll take you to court I will."

"Nobody's tryin' to take her away from you Shane," Lori was whispering frantically, like she was trying to shield everyone from the argument that had caught everyone's attention.

"Here you are, actin' like you're all a family or some shit, lockin' my daughter upstairs, away from me. I'm her _father,_ " he growled at Lori. "I was a father to her, to Carl." Shane looked at Rick then, his face crazed, "Rick, I know it ain't fair. You were in a coma, and Lori and I, we fell in _love_ ," he stressed. "I _love_ her."

Rick's mouth had fallen open as he tried to find words to throw at Shane. Beth could only guess what was going on in his head as he clenched his jaw, to, probably, try not to punch Shane in the face.

Beth realized that it had been made abundantly clear that Judith wasn't Rick's daughter. She was never Rick's daughter, always Shane's, even in the old world. Caring for and raising another man's daughter was okay if he didn't know, but now he knew and she thought it could be more damaging than anyone could really imagine.

Suddenly, Daryl grasped Beth's hand, clenching his fingers over his own, pulling her towards him as he headed towards the door. He dragged her away from the scene, closing the front door behind them, settling on the porch steps and digging into his pockets for a cigarette.

"Thought it best to give them a 'lil privacy," Daryl said.

"Probably best," Beth agreed, coming to sit next to him. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, letting her hair fall over her shoulders. It was still relatively early, the sun hadn't quite set yet, still noticeable just above the trees in the distance. The heat of the day had settled somewhat, but the humidity still hung heavy in the air.

"Can't imagine what it feels like to be Rick right now," Daryl said thoughtfully. Beth looked at him, but his eyes were focused in the distance as he spoke. He sucked on the cigarette, inhaling and then let a breath go, the cloud of smoke released in a thick line from between his lips.

"Yeah," Beth replied, looking back toward the sun.

"Sometimes I miss it," Daryl said softly, still not looking at Beth.

"Miss what?" Beth asked, her glance shifting back to him.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette away, sticking it back between his lips so that when he spoke next, it wiggled up and down with the words, "How things used to be."

Beth released a slight laugh, not knowing if he was serious or not. But he didn't respond to it at all, he only took another drag and kept looking off in the distance.

She didn't understand. How could he miss how things used to be? How could he miss that world - the dead and the danger and the uncertainty of it all? She wished she could open his mind and look inside. She wished she could feel what Daryl was feeling. She didn't realize it in the moment, but later, she realized, she was actually hurting for Daryl.

"Things felt easier," he shrugged. "I got too much time to think now."

She nodded then, sort of understanding. "Thinkin' about what?" Beth asked.

Daryl looked at her then, meeting her eyes. "Dunno."

She wondered if she should pry. She wondered if he wanted to talk about things - she always wondered that about Daryl. He was just so hard to read.

"I guess it was easier when my Dad was dead and Merle was dead," he offered, finishing his cigarette and flicking it off the stairs where it landed next to the grass. "Didn't matter so much not havin' them around."

"I'm sorry," Beth said, not knowing what else to say.

"All this stupid shit didn't matter, you know? Worryin' about what to wear and carryin' a cell phone and shit. Worryin' about how old my ass is."

Beth studied him, but his gaze was still focused away from her. "You worried about bein' older than me?" she asked, her thoughts surfacing from the beginning of the night.

Daryl gave a small laugh, his shoulders relaxing a little. "No," he said uncertainly.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "You are!" she exclaimed, glad he was having similar thoughts.

"Just never thought about it before now," he shrugged. "We were all just people livin'," he said. "Kinda wish it was that way still."

"Things can still be simple Daryl," Beth said. "Don't gotta make it complicated. We can still just be people livin'."

Their eyes met, and Beth thought they might kiss again, out here, right on Rick's front porch and her mind went wild, wondering what Rick would think, what Lori would think - what Carl would think, what her Daddy and Maggie and Annette and Shawn might think of her and Daryl kissing. And then, she thought, she didn't really care all that much, so she leaned forward towards him, wanting to feel him again but before she could touch him, the front door slammed open and Rick came storming out.

"Let's fuckin' go," Rick growled, slamming the door behind him and storming down the stairs, right through Beth and Daryl.

Ignoring Rick's chaotic exit from the house, Daryl brought his hand up to Beth's cheek and brushed it with his thumb. She closed her eyes at his touch, but it was gone quickly and when she looked back up at him, he'd broken his gaze to look at Rick. "What's up?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"I gotta get outta here before I do somethin' stupid," Rick said angrily, pacing the sidewalk in front of the house. "Can you give me a ride to the station?" he asked, directing it at Beth. "I'll sleep there. I just…" he sighed deeply, "I can't fuckin' be here right now."

"Alright," Beth said, reaching for the keys in her pocket. "Let's go."

* * *

"Fuck Shane," Rick said, sitting in between Daryl and Beth in the truck and Daryl nodded forcefully. Beth felt Rick's eyes on her and she nodded adamantly, reinforcing his declaration.

"Rick, you sure you don't wanna stay at the farm?" Beth asked. "I'm sure we can convince Daddy to let you have the couch or somethin'?"

Rick shook his head. "Thanks Beth," he said, patting her gently on the back. "Appreciate it. But it'll draw less attention to us if I just sleep at the station. It's alright. I've done it before."

There was a tinge of pink on his cheeks when Beth looked back at him, so she focused on the steering wheel and the road in front of her for the duration of the drive to the station.

The wheels bounced as Beth pulled from the road into the parking lot, directing the vehicle towards one of the open spots. The sun was slowly setting now, the sky a rich orange with blue clouds. She parked the car, then turned towards the two men, their heads turned towards the passenger side window.

She opened her mouth to ask what they were looking at, but before she could get the words out, she saw.

Michonne was walking towards them. Short hair, with blue jeans and a white shirt, a young boy, no older than five in her arms. She looked just like she'd looked in the photo Beth had seen earlier that morning, though slung over one of her arms was a dark jacket with a wool collar - the same jacket Beth had seen Rick wear time and time again, in the old world.


	17. Chapter 17 - Is This Real?

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 17 - Is This Real?

 ** _A/N:_** _Thank you all, as always, for your lovely reviews and follows and favs. I've become really proud of this story, so I'm so glad others are enjoying it. Hope you like this chapter too!_

* * *

Rick climbed over Daryl and scrambled out of the car, his hand fumbling for the handle before he released it, unsteadily sliding out of the door and to the solid road. Beth thought he might have jumped straight out of the moving truck, had she not pulled it into park, from the way he ran to Michonne and her son. Or at least that's who Beth assumed the small boy was. She knew even less about Michonne than she thought.

Michonne watched Rick carefully, clinging to the toddler in her arms who also watched in awe as a man, he didn't know, came racing towards his mother. They embraced immediately, Rick bringing his hands up to Michonne's cheeks and he was kissing her with force, like he'd never kissed anyone before in his life. Like he had found her again.

Beth felt like an intruder, watching them together, but was brought back to the moment she saw Daryl again in the hospital - that real, heavy emotion that came with seeing him again and then realizing that he remembered too. It was suffocating.

She looked at Daryl next, and he was watching Michonne and Rick too, biting on his lower lip. He shifted his eyes downwards, then looked back at Beth. "I think she remembers," he commented.

"Well, I would hope so." Beth smiled then and Daryl gave her a small smile back, before they both climbed out of the truck.

They had broken their embrace and Rick was now giving an awkward greeting to Michonne's son. Daryl reached Michonne first and her eyes, still brimming with tears, widened as she embraced him too, her one arm around him in a strong hug. She saw Beth next and sucked in a deep breath as she came forward to hug her too. When they came away from each other, Michonne put an affectionate hand up to Beth's cheek and looked at her sadly.

"What're you doin' here Michonne?" Rick asked her. "How'd you find us?"

She lifted the arm that wasn't holding the toddler to show him the jacket. "I woke up in the hospital with this. I came for you," she said the last part to Rick.

Rick put his hand in his back pocket and took out what he'd shown Beth and Daryl at the hospital. It was her bandana and she looked at it curiously, trying to understand it, then back up at Rick. He shook his head at her. "I thought I'd lost you," he said.

"I thought I'd lost all of you," she said, looking around at all of them, lastly, her son, who she smiled at. "This is Andre, by the way," she told Beth and Daryl. "My son."

The door of the sheriff's station opened and a few uniformed officers wandered out, laughing with each other, walking past them to a few of the cars parked in the lot.

"C'mon," Rick said straightening up. Beth noticed he had placed his hand on Michonne's lower back. "Let's get inside the station. We can talk in there."

It was disorienting, all of them together, to the point where Beth had to remind herself that it was still a new world. But suddenly, as they all came across the parking lot, Beth saw Rick stop abruptly and put his hand out to signal the rest of them to stop too. Daryl came up to the side of him, Michonne next and Beth peered out from behind her to see what had startled them.

It was the 1990 Lincoln town car, the Governor in the driver's seat, watching them.

Beth could almost see the steam coming from Rick's ears as he stormed over, his boots stomping against the pavement and Daryl followed in his footsteps, his faithful companion. Beth started forward too, but she realized, as she went towards Rick and Daryl, Michonne hadn't followed.

Instead, she'd backed away, towards the police building entrance, her eyes fixed on the Governor, terror in them unlike anything Beth had ever seen before. Michonne's hands had come up to her son's back and she was clinging to him, like she was trying to hide him inside of herself.

As much as Beth wanted to go to be with Rick and Daryl and hear what the man who had killed her father had to say, she knew, in this moment, Michonne needed her. Badly.

So, she turned on her heels and went towards her. When Beth reached her, Michonne was shaking and crying and Andre's face was buried in her chest, a low "Maaa!" whine coming from him as he struggled against her hold. But Beth knew Michonne and how strong she was. If she wanted Andre to stay with her, he would stay with her.

"Michonne," she tried gently, grabbing her elbow and Michonne's gaze broke away from the Governor and landed on Beth, her eyes wide and afraid. "Hey," Beth said softly. "Let's go inside."

"B-but," Michonne stuttered, looking back at the car. "It's…it's…"

"I know," Beth nodded. "The Governor." Then she paused, " _Philip_ ," she said between her teeth. "He's been hangin' around here. Let's get inside. He won't hurt us," she tried to say reassuringly.

She could tell that Michonne didn't believe her as she let Beth guide her inside the building, looking over her shoulder cautiously, keeping Andre to her chest. The rooms in the corner with the blinds seemed empty, so Beth chose one, flipped on the light and closed the door behind them.

Michonne seemed to take a breath then, easing herself into one of the seats in the room which held a heavy oak desk, padded chairs and a large whiteboard hung on the wall. Beth busied herself by the window, closing the blinds as Michonne gathered herself in the chair.

When Beth came back around to sit in the seat next to her, she saw that Michonne had released her death grip on Andre, who looked much more content.

"Andre," Beth said his name timidly, looking him straight in the eyes. She felt Michonne's stare on her, so she proceeded cautiously. "My name is Beth," she introduced herself. "Do you like to draw?"

He nodded enthusiastically, looking excited. So, Beth pushed one of the padded chairs up to the desk, placing a pad of paper and a pencil in front of it and then reached her arms out for Andre and he responded by reaching for her too. He was a solid kid, with beautiful dark skin, curly hair and wide brown eyes beneath long eyelashes, just like Michonne's.

Beth slid her arms around him and went to lift him up, but felt a tug as she tried to turn away. When she looked down, she saw Michonne's arm still wrapped around his leg. "Michonne," she whispered, looking at her, and Michonne shook her head, like she'd just realized she had a hold on him and released his limb.

"I'm sorry," Michonne said, as Beth placed Andre in his own chair. "I just, haven't seen him in so long. I'm afraid," her voice shook, "I'm so afraid of losing him again."

Beth watched Andre as he scribbled carefully on the yellow paper, carefully drawing out whatever was in his imagination. "He's beautiful Michonne," she said, looking back at her. And when she did, she saw that Michonne had tears streaming down her face. Beth had never seen Michonne cry. She'd never seen this side of her, and she couldn't help herself as she threw her arms around her, hugging her, wishing she could ease her fear.

"Oh Beth," Michonne whispered then as they both eased back in their own seats. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Beth responded. "Another world? Another reality? It's been a strange few weeks."

She had a million questions. She wanted to know how Michonne had gotten here. What had happened in their old world? Was Maggie still there? Glenn? Carl? Judith?

"And the Governor?" Michonne asked. "He remembers? What is he doing here?"

Beth shook her head. "I don't know," she said with a heavy breath, feeling guilty she didn't have more answers. "He surprised me the other day at the coffee shop I worked at. Work at," she corrected herself. Then, she looked up at Michonne to meet her eyes. "Andrea's my boss."

"Andrea?" Michonne raised her eyebrow. "Our Andrea? And she remembers?" The excitement was clear on her face.

"No," Beth shook her head sadly. "I'm not sure why, but, not everyone remembers. My whole family," Beth swallowed, afraid she might cry, "None of them remember. Glenn. Maggie. My Dad…" she trailed off. "Nobody remembered but Daryl. Then we found Rick, and now, you."

"I keep feeling like this is a dream," Michonne said, her voice still sounding unsteady. "I was sick," she told Beth. "In the old world, I was real sick. We had an outbreak of something," she closed her eyes, squeezed them shut, like she was trying to remember, "I don't remember what it was, but a lot of people were sick. Too many people. We ran out of medicine and supplies and…" she closed her lips, the sides turning down into a frown.

"I'm sorry Michonne," Beth said kindly.

"Is this real, Beth?" Michonne asked. "I don't know what I'll do if I wake up and this isn't real."

"I think it is," Beth said with a nod. "It has to be. It feels real. Everything feels so real." She meant her words, but even she hesitated believing things still. Could it still be a dream? Could she still be asleep in the old world, bound to wake up at some point, alone and afraid? Would Daryl be there waiting for her?

"And you died," Michonne continued on. "They shot you and we buried you and it was horrible. Daryl was destroyed and Maggie," she sucked in a breath. "And then Daryl, he was gone so quickly. And Rick. Oh god," Michonne was crying again. "It was so overwhelming. Carl and Judith. I tried to be there for them. I tried to survive. I tried."

Her shoulders were shuddering and it sounded like she couldn't breathe as she cried, putting her head in her hands.

"Mama?" Andre's little voice echoed through the room and Michonne cut her cries off abruptly, wiping the tears from her face with the palms of her hands, hastily.

"Yes baby?" Michonne responded, looking longingly at her son.

"Why're you cryin'?" he asked innocently. "Are you sad?"

"No," Michonne hushed, getting up from where she sat. She came around towards his chair and wrapped her arms around him. "I could never be sad with you."

He smiled at that, looking satisfied and went back to his drawing where Beth saw he had written "MAMA" and "ANDRE" in big, neat letters.

Michonne came back to her chair slowly and sat again, looking like she couldn't collect her thoughts fast enough. Beth knew that feeling all too well.

The door swung open then, and Rick and Daryl entered, both of them looking slightly flustered, but Beth was glad to see the Governor was nowhere in sight. Immediately, Rick swept Michonne up in a hug, and Beth unintentionally looked at Daryl who looked at her, like he wasn't sure what to do. She knew he wasn't an affectionate type of person, but even so, she wished he would sweep her up in a hug like that. She wished he wasn't so closed off all the time.

She took the initiative instead, and went over in front of him. "Everything okay?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah." He put a hand at her back, awkwardly, almost like he was afraid to touch her. Was it her? Or was he just afraid to be closed to her in front of other people?

"We talked to him," Rick announced and when Beth turned away from Daryl she saw that Rick was leaning over the desk, his hands firm against the wood, staring down at a few papers that were scattered about.

"And?" Beth pressed, coming back around to the seat. She was pleased to feel Daryl behind her and when she looked over her shoulder as she sat in the chair, she saw he was leaning his hands against where she sat. She liked having him near.

"He said he has information. Or at least knows something. Others that remember. Maybe why we remember and others don't. He invited us to his house tonight to explain further. _Peacefully_ ," Rick stressed.

"No!" Michonne exclaimed immediately. "You can't trust him." She looked at Rick pleadingly. " _Rick_."

"He didn't have to offer up any information," Rick rationalized. "If he wanted to hurt any of us, he would have done it already."

"He thinks I killed his _daughter_ ," Michonne exclaimed suddenly. "I can't go near him. And I definitely can't bring Andre near him."

Beth felt like her heart was going to stop. "What?" she asked, looking at Michonne.

And so Michonne explained. What happened in Woodbury. How she knew immediately that the Governor was a bad man. How she found his daughter, dead and rotting, but her brain alive, being kept in the closet like an animal. How she put her out of her misery. She whispered all of it to the group and as the story pored out, Beth stole glances at Andre who seemed perfectly happy drawing on the notepad.

"He's not going to hurt us," Rick tried to reassure her. "I won't let him hurt any of us. And we won't bring Andre. He can stay with…" he paused awkwardly, and Beth wondered if he was going to say Lori's name, but stopped before he did.

"We'll find a sitter," Beth said with a nod, trying to rectify Rick's statement. "We can figure out a way."

"I can get extra guns," Rick offered then, looking at Beth gratefully. "This place has plenty. To bring with us, just in case," he looked at Michonne, but she didn't respond. "But we _need_ to go," he stressed. "Don't you want answers?"

Nobody gave Rick a straight answer and as he looked around the room his frustration rose, so he slammed his hands on the desk, and yelled, "DON'T YOU ALL WANT ANSWERS!?"

His mistake was immediate, he had startled Andre, mid-picture. His pencil went flying out of his hands, landing with a clatter on the floor. He looked up at Rick, his eyes wide, a little afraid and screwed his mouth up into a frown, tears welling into his eyes. "Ma?" he called and Michonne was at his side in an instant.

"I'm sorry," Rick offered, obviously feeling terrible. "I'm sorry, Andre," he looked at the boy who was in Michonne's arms now, his lower lip trembling. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You know where his place is?" Michonne asked, sounding a little angry, not meeting Rick's eyes.

"Yes," Rick said, sounding like he wanted to say something else, but before he could get words out of his mouth, Michonne spoke again.

"I'll meet ya'll here at nine tonight." And with that, she left.

Rick watched her as she walked out of the door, then through the lobby and back towards the front entrance and before Daryl could grab him, he ran after her.

Daryl watched his friend chase after the woman he loved, and rocked back and forth on his feet, like he was debating whether or not to go after them. "Don't," Beth said. "Let him go."

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"He loves her," she whispered. "She needs to hear him say whatever he's going to say."

Daryl looked away from her then. "How'dya know that?" he asked.

"Know what?"

"That he loves her?"

Beth looked back at him then, meeting his eyes, narrowing them without really meaning to. "The way he looks at her. And touches her. He went after her. God Daryl, 'course he loves her."

Without warning, he swept her up, just like she had wished he had before. She was in his arms before she could even understand what was going on and his mouth was on hers before she could respond, his lips quickly kissing her own, his beard scratching her chin and she understood then - he was trying to tell her, in his own way, that he loved her too.

* * *

Rick offered to pick up both Beth and Daryl after he'd met Michonne to travel to where the Governor, or _Philip_ lived. But first, Beth and Daryl needed to go back to the farm to show their faces.

"Whatta think he knows?" Beth asked curiously, as she drove them back towards the house. Her mind was all over the place and she was anxious. The thought of being in the same room as The Governor was a little terrifying to say the least.

"He didn't offer much up," Daryl said honestly, running his hand through his hair. "Said, he's remembered where he's come from for a long time. Knows of others who remember, knows of others who don't. Says he's seen it all. Kept tabs on your Dad and you and Maggie and Rick, others from Woodbury, from after," he said. "Wanted to see how it affected everyone. He's done a lot of research."

"So you don't think he's gonna hurt us?"

Daryl shook his head. "Think he wants to pick our brains." Then he looked at her, his thumb in his mouth as he chewed on the fingernail. "Not literally," he added as an afterthought.

The Greene's had just finished dinner and the house was quiet when Beth came inside. Daryl had gone back around to his side of the house, but not before coaching Beth on how to properly sneak out so they could get to Rick's car.

"Like I've never snuck out before, Daryl," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You? Sneak out?" he asked with a little laugh. "I don't believe it."

She gave him the finger. "Well then you don't know me at all."

"Feisty little thing," he grumbled under his breath, then grabbed her hand and squeezed it, before letting go and disappearing around the side of the house.

Beth smiled at that, and couldn't stop smiling as she greeted her mother and father, curled up in front of their small TV and Shawn, sitting in the kitchen, writing a paper for one of his classes. She couldn't find Maggie though, so she went upstairs instead, coming into her room, fumbling around towards her desk to turn on the lamp.

And when she turned towards her bed, there was a figure there that caught her off guard, so she jumped in the air, bringing her hand to her breast, trying to steady her breath.

"Maggie!" she exclaimed to her sister, who was sitting cross-legged on Beth's comforter, staring at her. "What the hell?"

"I might ask you the same question," Maggie responded.

Beth stared at her, exasperated. "What?"

Maggie scoffed. "You, act like you're _so_ innocent. But I know somethin's up with you Bethie," Maggie taunted her. "First you break up with Jimmy. Then you're sneakin' off to god knows where without a shift at work, then you show up with some guy you convinced Daddy to hire as the ranch hand."

"I don't know what you mean," Beth said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. But she was nervous for what Maggie was going to say.

"You and Daryl?" Maggie asked. "You knew him before Daddy hired him, didn't you? Are you sleepin' with him? Did you cheat on Jimmy?"

"What? No! Maggie, no," Beth said, upset.

"I don't believe you," Maggie snarled, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me what's goin' on."

"Okay." Beth hung her head. "I knew Daryl before Daddy hired him. But I thought he'd be a good fit for the farm."

Maggie shook her head. "There's somethin' else Beth," she said, wagging her finger. "I've seen you with him."

Beth closed her eyes, and Daryl's face appeared, she felt him on her lips, his arms behind her back, his beard on her chin. "I don't know what you're talkin' about Maggie," Beth said with a forced laugh.

Maggie nodded. "Fine. Don't tell me. But I know," she said, standing up from the bed and pointing a finger at her sister. "You can't get that shit past me." She went for the door, pulling it open and walking through it, then popped her head back in. "Love you Beth," she said softly.

Beth looked up at her sister, studied her pretty face, and she couldn't help but smile at her. She knew Maggie didn't mean anything by it. She knew Maggie was just looking out for her best interest. So instead of getting angry, she said, "Love you too Mags."


	18. Chapter 18 - Philip Blake

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 18 - Philip Blake

 ** _A/N:_** _Wow! We're finally here. Ahhh! The explanation chapter! I'm super duper nervous about posting this because I hope it lives up to expectations, but this is what I've had in my head all along. So, without spoiling anything - PLEASE ENJOY! PLEASE REVIEW! Love you guys!_

* * *

Beth and Daryl waited together at the end of the long dirt driveway of the Greene farm. The sun had set only an hour ago, but the disappearance of daylight had brought a cooler chill to the night air. Beth absentmindedly rubbed her arms, feeling the leather of Daryl's jacket on her knuckles as they brushed over the fabric. They stood close, their arms touching. Beth wondered if they always stood this close, or if it was something she was just noticing now.

A pair of headlights jumped over a hill in the distance, and a cruiser sped towards them quickly.

"Rick," Daryl observed with a grunt, nodding towards the distance.

Beth nodded and watched the car drive towards them, slowing until it came to a halt right in front of the driveway. Daryl peered into the passenger side window and Michonne gave a small wave. Nodding to Beth, he opened the back door, letting her slide into the leather seat. Following suit, he closed the door behind himself and stayed on his own side, letting his back fall against the window to face all of them. Always on the lookout.

"All okay?" Rick asked.

"Yes," Beth answered confidently. She'd propped up her bedding with pillows and snuck out through the side door, unnoticed. She'd done it many times before and knew tonight would be no different.

Rick nodded. "Alright," he said, turning back towards the steering wheel. "Let's go."

They drove at a steady pace. Beth lost track of the turns Rick was making and let him guide them to where they needed to go. That's how it always was with Rick - he was just someone that you trusted easily.

There was tension in the front seat. Michonne's arms were crossed and she was focused on the window, watching the landscape pass them by. Rick kept his grip on the steering wheel, knuckles white. She looked to Daryl who was watching them too, his eyes reading Ricks face, then flicking to Michonne's. He looked away and back at Beth and gave a small grin. He seemed to smile more since they'd been back in this world, and she guessed he had a good reason to. Her heart felt light and she very badly wanted to kiss him again.

The drive lasted only a few minutes, but it felt like hours, before Rick pulled into a small apartment complex with a large tar parking lot that held a variety of cars. Two street lamps shone dull orange light over the vehicles, making them look like they'd been covered in dust. The front of the building boasted a single, yellow light that was flickering in and out.

Rick parked and still shrouded in silence, the group got out of the car. The complex was made from pure brick, about four or five stories high with black windows. The first two floors of windows had bars on the front that enclosed the glass behind it. If they had still been in the other world, it would have been an ideal hiding place if they could have secured it from the inside. The bars on the windows gave an extra layer of protection.

Beth was surprised still, sometimes, that she thought about those things. That she couldn't get rid of those instincts. She wondered how long they would follow her. It hadn't been very long since she'd been gone from the old world but the adjustment had been relatively seamless. She found that she so desperately wanted to be here, away from the terror, the uncertainty. Those emotions left very little to the imagination and it made it so very difficult to live. You just…survived.

She thought then, of what Daryl had said out on Rick's porch. Sometimes he missed the old world. The simplicity of it. He wasn't afraid of anything in the old world. It was black and white, plain and simple. Eat or get eaten. She thought maybe she'd made things complicated for him. All that kissing. New feelings. Regardless, she knew she didn't want to live a world without Daryl in it, no matter how complicated he thought she was.

Rick had gone around to the back of the car to open the trunk, which they all now crowded around, revealing a small black bag. He unzipped it hurriedly to reveal four glock pistols, jet black and lethal. He picked one up and handed it to Daryl who released the magazine, then popped it back in with a _click_. Rick took two more out and handed one to Michonne and one to Beth. It felt unnatural in her hands. It'd been so long since she'd held a gun.

"Pockets," Rick instructed them, and the rest of them put the guns in their back pockets. They needed to be careful. There were laws around carrying a weapon, Beth had to remind herself, even though she was sort of sure she could outshoot a _lot_ of people after everything she'd been through.

Rick put his gun in his back pocket and slammed the trunk shut, startling Beth so that she jumped in place where she was beside Daryl. He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?" he whispered and she nodded, not sure if she meant her answer or not.

"Let's go," Rick said sternly, leading the pack towards the front door of the complex.

At the door, there was a small metal frame with a piece of paper in it, covered by a cracked piece of glass that showed all of the tenants names. Next to each name was a small gray button. Rick traced his finger down the list, until he found "Philip Blake - 109", moving his finger towards it to press the call button.

He hesitated slightly - Beth would have missed it had she not been watching - but then he pushed it, releasing a loud obnoxious buzz that echoed through the air. Beth watched Michonne take in their surroundings, looking around the side of the door frame inside which they were standing. Beth looked too, not seeing much of anything. It was eerie. She knew there was nothing to fear - at least, not like how it was before, but still, the darkness of the night, the place they were about to go - it was all very unsettling.

"Hello?" The deep voice she'd heard be so despicable before sounded through the air, like it just appeared out of nowhere. Like he was standing right next to them. Hate ignited deep in her belly, traveling up to her chest, like bad heartburn. She brought her hand around to the gun that weighed her jean pocket down. Just to make sure it was there, like she'd done with the bandana. Like she was almost afraid it would disappear.

"It's us." Rick was simple in his words - always had been, but the Governor ( _Philip_ , Beth kept reminding herself,) knew exactly who it was, buzzing them in instantly.

Daryl grabbed the door, made from a heavy black metal and pulled, the door coming open easily, silencing the buzzer. He held it open for the rest of the group - Michonne, Beth, Rick and then Daryl all entered behind one another.

"Eyes open for 109," Rick said this time and they wandered down the long hallway inside, passing a door on either side - 101 and 102. They wandered down the hall together, huddled in a single mass - training from runs, from the farm, from the prison. Always together, rarely apart.

"Here," Michonne's voice, silky smooth came next, as she stopped in front of a door. 109. She brought up her hand in a fist, but Rick grabbed it before she could knock. Michonne narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sorry," he mouthed to her. "Just want to make sure we're all on the same page," he breathed, looking around at the rest of the group. "Anything funny, know where your weapons are at. Follow my lead." He dropped Michonne's hand and she let it rest on the door, her knuckles meeting the wood in a hard knock.

At first there was silence, then - heavy footsteps that came closer, until the door pulled back. The Governor came to the door, looking no worse for wear, his arms crossed and he nodded at Rick who nodded back - quite a pathetic greeting for two men who'd practically been at war with each other.

They all came inside the door, but as Beth passed Philip, standing so politely, holding the door open with his back, she couldn't help but look up at him. She blinked and saw him, from before, black patch, scruffy face, angry scowl, long hair and she nearly cried out in fright. She blinked again, and he was back. Clean cut and gentle looking. Giving her a slight smile.

She scowled at him and realized, to her horror, that she hated this man. Suddenly, she thought maybe she shouldn't have come at all.

They were standing in a large den that boasted a ratty old love seat and a couch (they didn't match), as well as a La-Z Boy recliner. To the left, in the corner, was a small kitchen and a hallway that disappeared into darkness. They stood on a shaggy brown carpet that felt pleasantly soft beneath Beth's feet. She wondered if he was going to ask them to take their shoes off.

"Please." The Governor had come into the room behind them and was motioning towards his sofa and love seat for them to take a seat. "Can I get anyone anything?"

"We're fine," Rick said, answering for everyone. "We came here to hear what you know. Nothing more."

Philip nodded and took a seat in the La-Z boy made from black worn leather. It rocked backwards on its bottom and Philip planted his feet in front to steady himself. Rick and Michonne took a seat on the couch and Beth and Daryl followed on the love seat. Their knees touched when they sat and when Beth took in her new perspective, she saw a small Barbie laying forgotten underneath the table.

Well, that was out of place. A Barbie? She suddenly envisioned the Governor playing with Barbies. Tearing off their heads, arms, legs. No, that wouldn't be right. Did he — have a child?

"I understand," Philip was saying from his recliner. He sat forward, leaning his elbows on his calves, looking at all of them. "I'm sorry for what you're going through," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "What we've all been through."

"Still a piece of shit," Daryl said under his breath.

Philip nodded, knowingly. "Yeah, alright," he growled at him. "Guess that's fair."

"Tell us what you know," Michonne demanded. "Start at the beginning."

Philip sighed. "Alright. Well. For starters, I've been here, in this reality, for almost a year."

"A year!?" Beth cried. "How is that possible?"

Philip looked up at her, his eyes wide, and shrugged. "Time isn't relevant, it seems. In this world and the old. We all died at different times, right? Who was the first awake?"

"I was," Beth said, remembering how it felt with a shudder.

"And the next?" he asked.

"Me," Daryl replied.

"And how long was it since she'd died?" he asked.

Daryl stared at him. "I don't know," he said truthfully, then looked at Beth who met his eyes. He looked so sad - so defeated - so broken. Like how he'd looked when he'd first seen her again in the hospital. "It felt like forever." He said it to her.

She couldn't breathe ingesting his words. She wanted to reach out to him. Touch him. Have him hold her. Just be with him. She'd almost lost him and he'd almost lost her and it was devastating. The most devastating thing that Beth could have imagined.

"I guess it was maybe two months or so." She watched him try to do the math in his head. _I lost myself when I lost you_. His words had been sharp, sincere and painful to hear and Beth realized he really had no idea how much time had gone by once she left - he had truly lost his sense of the world after she'd died.

"That's right," Rick backed him up. "It was about two months or so, before we lost Daryl."

"And you were next?" Philip turned to Rick.

Rick nodded, looking sad. "Almost six months after Daryl, I'd say." He looked at Michonne and she nodded solemnly.

"Woke up here less than a week after I did," Daryl commented, and Beth nodded in agreement.

"Wake up with anything unusual - anything out of the ordinary?" Philip asked then, and they all nodded. "Things of," he paused for emphasis, "each other's?"

Beth gave a little gasp, trying to hold her tears back as she thought of the minute she saw Daryl's bandana on the stupid night stand in the stupid hospital with all that stupid crap people had brought her. It meant so much to her in that moment. It had proved she wasn't crazy.

"I've been back for about a year," he repeated again. "I realized what was happening when I woke up in the hospital and my sister was there holding my daughter. My daughter who was alive. She'd aged years since I'd seen her last."

The Barbie. It made sense to Beth now.

"I thought I was crazy at first. That I'd wake up," he looked up at them then, and then all nodded in agreement. Hadn't they all felt that way at first? Fucking crazy. This wasn't real. _Couldn't_ be real.

"But I didn't wake up. I came home. I had a life. My daughter, Penny, she needed me. My wife," he explained sadly, "Died eighteen months prior to the outbreak. So it was just Penny and I from day one. When she died after the turn, I had nothing left to lose except myself. And I did just that."

 _I lost myself when I lost you_.

"What I've found is that there's a theme that directly correlates to remembering," he continued.

"What's that?" Michonne asked, almost pleadingly.

"Love," Philip replied gently. "More specifically, if you fell in love, after the outbreak. If you loved above all things, above survival, above who you used to be, something," he waved his hand in the air, "Something helps you find that love again, here. Makes you want to remember. Maybe it makes you _need_ to remember. Seen it a few times now. Love reunited."

He stopped then, looking around at all of them, as if to urge them to say something. No one did.

"I've seen only a few instances where people remember and _keep_ remembering. They identify and stay with their constant, if we're putting it in terms."

"Constant?" Michonne asked.

Philip nodded. "Yes, your one constant. It's not a technical term or anything, just something I've heard. You have a constant in all forms of realities. True love. Always the same."

Beth thought instantly of what Daryl had said about Glenn and Maggie. _You know, it's funny - Maggie and Glenn together. Don't seem like either of them remember, but they still somehow found each other. Just interestin' is all._

Constant. Was Daryl Beth's constant?

"So why do you remember?" Rick pressed. "Don't remember you bein' in love with anyone."

Philip showed his teeth then, grinning at him. "Love ain't always about _someone_. Sometimes you love a thing. Sometimes it's a person. Sometimes it's a feeling. For me, it was power." He gave a soft laugh. "I never loved anything as much as I loved that power in Woodbury. That feeling never went away."

He reached into his pocket and Beth watched as Rick's hand instantly went to his back, reaching for the gun she knew was there, not knowing what his next move was.

Instead of a weapon, Philip pulled a single black eyepatch and held it out for them to see, between two fingers. Michonne gasped and Daryl almost took out his gun, to which the Governor laughed in response.

"Whoa," he said, putting one hand up in retaliation. "The feeling never went away, but it doesn't mean I can hurt you now. Or even that I want to hurt you. Things are different. Not like after the outbreak. We've got rules. Jails. The death penalty. And I'm not a stupid man."

Nobody else seemed to find this comment reassuring.

"A lot of people who go through this don't like who they'd _become_ in the world with the biters and all that," Philip went on. "Did a lot of things they weren't proud of. Most of 'em formed relationships they wouldn't have otherwise formed had the world been normal. And that's why people forget when they get back to this reality. That's why people stop remembering. They don't _want_ to remember."

"Things here are normal. How they would have been had the world stayed the way it was. And the longer anyone who returns from the old world is away from who they once were - the people they once were with, in the world with the biters; the more they forget. They go back to their normal lives. Happily. And they just seem to forget."

He stopped talking then, letting the words sit in the room. It felt like they were hovering over their heads, going into Beth's ears and out the other. She was trying to process. Trying to understand. Trying not to cry.

"You have a choice," Philip said, breaking the silence again. "You have a choice about whether or not to remember. I've tried to forget, and I've been sort of successful for a day or two. But I _loved_ power. Oh god, I loved it so fucking much. I don't _want_ to forget that feeling."

"Plus," he shrugged, "I have no one else. I didn't really have a group - except maybe Milton, but that coward took off first chance he got. Didn't have anyone else besides Penny. And she's here with me, so, I've got no reason to forget. It won't change anything for me."

He glanced around the room again. "But that's just me. For you all, it's a decision you have to make. Although, if you woke up with that extra bit of help, I'd say you woke up knowing who your constants were. But you still have a choice. You still have a say in where you go from here. You make your own future."

"So, what _is_ this place exactly? This world?" Rick asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hard to say Rick," Philip answered. "I can tell you what I believe, and what I believe is that this place is an alternate universe. Are you familiar with modal realism or the counterpart theory?" he asked.

Everyone shook their head no.

"The theory there are other worlds and other forms of yourself," he explained. "A bunch of philosophical shit I'm not going to bore you with. But that's what I think this is."

"So we're not dead?" Daryl asked and Philip changed his gaze to take Daryl in.

"No," Philip shook his head forcefully. "Absolutely not. You've very much alive. Just, in a different reality. Where you choose what and what not to remember. You may be dead in a different reality. Maybe not. But the one you're experiencing is this one right now. Right here. In this room, here with me."

He explained it like it was simple. Like somehow it was easy to gather their heads around the concept and accept that this is what they were all experiencing. Beth suddenly felt disoriented. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She was tired. Sad. Confused.

"Fuck," Daryl said, standing up suddenly. "I need to get out of this room."

Beth looked up at him, but he didn't look at her, only turned away and went for the door, slamming it open and storming out. When he left, Beth heard a faint cry from the dark hallway they'd passed earlier.

"Penny," Philip whispered, then glared at the group of them.

"I'd ask you to stay for coffee, but considering the circumstances…" he trailed off.

"We'll be going," Rick said, getting to his feet. Michonne did the same. Beth wasn't sure her legs still worked. Hell, she wasn't sure if any parts of her still worked. She felt like they might need to scrape her off the couch and haul her out of this living room on a shovel. But she made it to her feet and they all sort of stumbled out of the apartment building and back to the car.

Her head was spinning. She wished it wouldn't because it was making her sick, even once she steadied herself against the car, the world kept spinning. She felt drunk. Like she'd drank a whole glass of moonshine at the shack with Daryl. Her head felt full and mucky, the words and concepts that Philip had thrown at them circling her brain, but nothing wanted to settle.

When she looked at the rest of the group, none of them seemed to be feeling content with what the Governor had said. _Philip._ She tried to force her brain to remember. _Philip, Philip, Philip. We're in a new reality. His fucking name is Philip_.

Daryl had taken a cigarette out and was smoking with a shaky hand. Rick had opened the trunk of the car and was collecting all of their guns to stuff back into the small bag. Michonne was squatting next to the car, leaning her head against the cool metal, staring off into the distance with her hand over her mouth.

It was too much to process. It was too much to think through. Beth felt like she might pass out, even as they got back into the car, even as they drove back to the Greene farm and even as her and Daryl got back out at the end of the dusty driveway after telling Rick and Michonne they'd be in touch the next day. _"We all need sleep,_ " Rick had advised and Beth had no problem agreeing.

But here they were now, her and Daryl, alone, after getting some kind of explanation and she wanted to ask him a million things and pick his brain and kiss him and jump into his arms, but before she could do any of that, he started walking up the driveway, without her.


	19. Chapter 19 - Intermission

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 19 - [Intermission]

 ** _A/N:_** _Well, this ended up being sort of a "lost chapter/Intermission" that I didn't plan on writing (sorry it's so short.) It sort of just came out. I mentioned before that this fic will primarily only be from Beth's POV, but I thought it was important to understand how all of our characters were feeling, even though it's very brief. So without further ado…_

* * *

He was blank. He could very well be on fire right now and not even know it. He was numb.

He'd been numb before. For years of his life, he'd been numb. A human can only endure so much pain before they stop feeling it. Numb was familiar. It was easy. Sometimes it almost felt good.

Daryl felt her, behind him. Trotting on her toes to keep up with him up the dirt road. He knew she'd ask those question he was dreading. How did he _feel_ , what did he _think_? He knew, very simply, what his answers were to those questions. He was in the way. The only thing that would hold her back. He was, as he always was; the problem.

She'd argue with him. Tell him she _wanted_ him around, but who really, truly, wanted him around? He wasn't doing anyone any good by sticking around. And God, if he could erase those bad memories for her - her pain, suffering - her fucking _death_ , he would. In an instant. It would be the only good thing he'd ever do in his life. This life, at least.

But then, selfishly, he wondered where he'd go. Could he make it on his own? Would he have to go back to his old man? Back to Merle? He wouldn't know how. He wouldn't know how to do that just as much as he wouldn't know how to move on from this all. His thoughts were disjointed. He felt tired. Confused. And very, very sad.

If he left, he'd forget her too - right? Wasn't that what the Governor said? That way he couldn't come back. He couldn't fuck it up again. He could let her be. Beth Greene, to live the life she so deserved, without him in it. That bright little light would go on to do great things. Bring sunshine to others. And Daryl? Well, he'd figure it out.

They'd reached the house. Instead of stopping at the front steps, he quickly went around the side, to that back door that lead to his room. Not really his room. A room he'd barely earned. A room she'd practically given him.

He was at the bottom step, hesitating. And she was there behind him. Hand on his back. It wanted to be there. Warm. Familiar. He turned his head. Didn't look at her, but spoke. "I'm going to bed."

"Can we talk?" she asked timidly. Her voice was shaking. She was definitely about to cry. It was a punch to the gut. " _Please_?" He didn't respond. "Daryl?" Her voice was shrill. She was loud and unafraid to wake the rest of the house.

"C'mon," he mumbled, jerking his head to indicate she should follow him inside.

* * *

It was so silent. Deathly quiet. Still. The sort of silence he heard when they were back, deep in the Georgia woods and nothing was moving. No people. No animals. No birds. Not even an insect was crawling across the forest floor. The silence had been dark and empty. Scary.

He got used to it. Eventually. After a while, the silence was comforting.

But it wasn't now. With her. They always spoke. Even if it was just with glances. A raise of an eyebrow. Nudge of an elbow. Push of a shoulder. But she wouldn't even look at him. She wouldn't even fucking looking at him.

Rick could _hear_ the tires on the road. Rubber hitting gravel. Each turn that he made was excruciating. He went under the speed limit. Tried to lengthen the trip.

He was afraid. There was no way around it. He was fucking terrified she would choose to leave. _Of course_ she was going to leave. She had a son. A boyfriend. A life. Of course, this beautiful, intelligent, strong, infallible woman had a life before Rick Grimes. Before the turn. She was a mother. A stunningly, compassionate, loving mother. She was a dancer, he'd learned. Tall, limber, delicate - _graceful_. What would she want with him?

And who was he anyway? Still married. A wife who'd had a baby by another man. A son who he'd been absent from for years. This life, was it better for him? Did he want it more? Did he want to forget who he was, what he'd been through, where he'd come from? Did he want to forgive Lori and deal with Shane, raise Judith, pretend it was all okay?

They were at the station.

"Mich," he said softly. So soft, she thought maybe she didn't hear him. He turned his head. Looked at her. She was looking out the window.

"Rick, I—" She looked at him. Those wide, chocolate eyes, the world behind them. Pain. Excruciating pain. This decision wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"Andre." Rick said his name softly. "He loves you. He _needs_ you."

"I know," she replied.

* * *

She'd had separation anxiety with Andre, after he was born. It was the strangest thing. You carry a baby in your belly for nine months, push them out after hours of excruciating labor, hold them in your arms, and feed them on your breast. The first time away from that baby - that baby you grew, you nurtured, fed, loved, helped to survive, is the scariest moment of your life.

Until it isn't.

As a mother, you're always fearful. There's always threats. Even in the safe world. Kidnappers. Pedophiles. Hate. Racism. Bullies. Social Fucking Media.

But then there was something worse. The walkers came. The dead rose to life. On the television. Then, at the grocery. On the road. At the house next to theirs. In their backyard. Mike killed one and Michonne sobbed, cradling her son to her chest, protectively - terrified until she couldn't breathe.

She didn't ever want to leave his side. She'd strap him to her chest if she could, but she knew, it wasn't possible.

Trust was a scary thing, but she trusted Mike. He'd been there for her. A saint, through her pregnancy. Late night drives for the food she craved. Rubbing her belly. Talking to the fetus. Worried about how long she'd been on her feet. A trooper through the birth. Sore hands, deaf ears, gentle words. And later, midnight feedings, diaper changes. Support through the early days of breastfeeding.

But the world they'd come from - the one with those corpses that walked around - it showed who people really were. It brought the realness out of someone. It destroyed any sense of self you _had_.

After Andre had been taken. After she'd had to do the unthinkable. After she'd laid his tiny body to rest in the cold, hard, unfor- _fucking_ -giving ground, she'd changed. Throwing dirt on his stiff, gray, unmoving corpse, she'd become someone else. She'd become the Michonne that Rick knew. He hadn't know her before. Who she was and who she could be. Michonne as a mother. Michonne as a _person_.


	20. Chapter 20 - All The Same

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 20 - All The Same

* * *

He was shutting down.

She knew it the instant they'd come out of that apartment. Slinking away up the long dirt driveway, disappearing around the side of the house. Brooding. Wouldn't even acknowledge her. Not until she pleaded.

They were standing in his room now and he was sitting on the sofa, arms draped over his legs, head towards the floor. She stood by the door, unable to find words. It was almost comical - that she was unable to find her words. Of anyone, Beth always had _something_ to say.

"Daryl." She said his name timidly. "Where are you at?" It was the most honest question. She couldn't read him when he got like this. He pushed himself away. Hid in the deepest corners of himself. Folded in, hands around his feelings, afraid for anyone else to see them. Maybe to know that he had them. That was how he'd been when he first got to the farm. It was the worst kind of defense mechanism.

He knew all about getting hurt, Daryl. This world was full of hurt for him, wasn't it, with his shit father and his shit brother? Taking care of everyone else but himself. Being beaten down, kicked to the curb, not ever having someone who cared. It seemed that one day he had just kind of come to terms with it. Like this was his life and would be his life, forever. Until the turn. And even then, she thought, maybe he always sort of expected it to continue.

She knew though, that sometimes, it all got to be too much for him - like at the cabin with the moonshine. After the Governor, the prison, her father being murdered, Beth just happened to push the wrong button and suddenly Daryl bubbled over and exploded all over her, like a liter of soda all shook up in its plastic bottle. She sort of preferred that. At least he showed some kind of emotion, even if it was a fit of anger. She could handle it. She could handle his temper. But, she wasn't sure if she could handle _nothing_ from Daryl.

He shrugged.

She moved off the wall and went towards the couch, shuffling her feet so he'd know she was coming. He turned his head slightly and peered up at her. He wasn't giving her much. Raised eyebrows, lips ever so slightly pursed. But his eyes told another story. The pain. God, it was gut wrenching. So severe, she almost stopped in her tracks. He looked so fucking broken. Just like that night with the moonshine. She remembered thinking he might cry again, and thought the same thing now.

Beth couldn't stop herself. She went to him. Her arms out so she could touch him and climbed on top of his knees and straddled him before she could even think about what she was doing. Gently, she took his head in her hands and just looked at him. The shadow of a beard beneath her hands felt rough, but she ran her thumbs over his whiskers, willing him to meet her eyes. And as he did, she let out a breath of relief. Even if he was trying to retreat into himself, he couldn't. He was still here with her, now.

She searched him, her own irises darting back and forth to study his face that had leaned into her touch. Handsome, sharp features. A little gray in his beard. Creases in his skin. Spots from the sun. She could see everything. Every flaw, every detail and she realized, she loved them all.

Her hands moved, reaching his hairline, and she explored with the tips of her fingers, the soft skin of his scalp and their noses were touching, and then, their lips, just meeting gently, his upper lip touching her bottom lip - a soft brush, so delicate and un-Daryl-like. Not kissing; lightly settled into each others crevices.

He was inhaling her, his eyes closed.

Breathing.

She closed her eyes.

"Beth." When he said her name, she felt every letter roll off of his lips, right onto her own. His tongue ran through his teeth to complete the "th" in her name. A light tickle. She kissed him, softly and quickly.

He took a breath and it shuddered in his throat. "This won't work," he said quietly.

Her eyelids snapped back. "What?" she whispered.

"I need to go."

He pulled his head back, just enough so that they were close enough to kiss again, but she could see the entirety of his face. He looked pained. Sad. Still, she narrowed her eyes at him, but he had looked down.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Her voice was sharp.

"If I stay…" Daryl hesitated.

Aggressively, she pushed off of him until she was standing again. Hovering over him. And then, she was yelling. "I _know_ what happens if you stay. I understood everythin' the Governor was saying. What, do you think I'm dumb?" She paused for an answer she knew she wouldn't get. "I get it. And I don't want you to leave because somehow in that _thick_ head of yours, you think that it's better for me." She tried to catch her breath with no success. "You don't _get_ to decide that."

"C'mon," Daryl snarled, looking up with a grimace. The anger was rearing its head. _Good_. "You know I don't belong here. Never did."

"Don't you fuckin' say that," Beth said. "You know that's not true. You belong here just as much as I belong here Daryl. How can you be willin' to just give that up so easily? How can you forget what we've been through so quickly?"

He sucked in a breath. "Ain't never gonna forget that." That was softer. Less angry.

"So stop." She softened, letting her shoulders relax.

He was still for a moment, staring at the floor again. Thinking.

"You deserve better," he said simply. "You deserve a life. Rememberin' all that shit from the other world Beth," he shook his head forcefully. "That ain't no life."

"I can handle it." She gritted her teeth as she said it. She wasn't weak. Why did she need to tell him that all the time?

"Not sayin' you can't. I'm sayin'," he squeezed his eyes shut. "Fuck," he whispered. "I'm just sayin', if you can have a better life. A life that erases all that shit…why wouldn't you?"

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. "Because," she cried. "Because if I erase that, then that erases you."

He looked at her. "So what? You didn't know me before all this, Beth," he yelled.

"Well," she said forcefully, catching her tongue between her teeth. "I know you now. I don't want to _erase_ you. How can you even ask me to do that?"

"I'm not askin' you anythin'," Daryl said. "I'm tellin' you. All I am is a burden. I'll hold you back. And I'm not fuckin' worth it."

She gasped, despite herself. "How can you _say_ that?"

"Beth." He looked like he might jump off the couch now. "I can't be anyone for you in this world. You don't know who I was before all of this."

"I know who you are. You're not that person," she whispered. "You're not who you were."

"Yeah, I am!" Now he was yelling. "I am that fuckin' person. I'm who I was. Nothin' we went through is gonna change that. The only reason I was anythin' good in that world was because there was nothin' left. The world was shit. Made heroes outta nobodies. That's the only reason I was anythin'."

"STOP," Beth shouted. She couldn't listen to him tear himself down like this. It was painfully wretched to listen to. "You're everything good. In this world and the old. Daryl, please," she said imploringly. "Please."

"What?" he hissed. "Please, what? You think you want this now, but in a few weeks, a few months - you're gonna fuckin' realize what a mistake you've made. I can't let you do that. I can't let you make a mistake with me like that."

"It's not a mistake. Rememberin' isn't a mistake." Her hands were in fists. She was so angry at him.

"Yeah it is," he said, cracking his knuckles. "You rememberin'll be a huge fuckin' mistake. Things will never be normal for you if we stay together like this."

"I don't _want_ things to be normal."

"Why?" he glared at her. "We gonna ride off into the sunset on our fuckin' ponies? What do you want outta all this?"

Her vision tunneled in on him and she searched for an answer. _What did she want?_

"I want to be happy," she answered finally. "I want you to be happy too. Daryl. Please. We can be happy together. It doesn't have to be the other way around."

He scoffed. "You don't know nothin'," he sneered. "You ain't gonna be happy with me Beth. I can tell you that right now. I can't make you happy." It was mean and presumptuous and Beth knew he was trying to push her away. He was trying to defend himself from something he didn't understand.

" _Yes,_ you can. You do. I need you." She said it before she thought about how it sounded. It was the truth. She did need him. Even more than that. She wanted him. She… "Jesus Daryl," she breathed. "I love you." It was quiet, the actual words, but it sounded like a sonic boom in the small room.

He reacted to that. His head snapped up and his pupils went small and he let his mouth fall open slightly, gaping at her, like she'd slapped him.

"That's right," she said. Tears were coming, she could feel them behind her eyes. Her nerves ignited behind her skin and she repeated herself, wanting to make sure she'd heard herself correctly. "I, _love you_."

The words stuck around, flying around from wall to wall, causing her to sweat, to tear up, to lose her sense of self control. She went back towards him, and he let her, catching her in his arms as she sat on his lap once more and held his face inches away from her own, eyes darting wildly, trying to interpret his thoughts.

She'd thought maybe she needed to hear it from him - those words. _I love you_. But instead, when he kissed her, opening his mouth over hers, she knew that maybe she didn't need to hear them _right now_. She didn't need him to profess his love for her because, she'd known. God, maybe since the funeral home that he'd felt something _more_ for her. More than kinship. More than a fucking pathetic ass excuse for a survival companion. More than family. Something had opened and flowered so beautifully after that night with the moonshine, after they'd found that funeral home and it was snatched away just as quickly as it had all started.

It was like everything that had been left behind in the old world was fueling this kiss. It was rough and uninhibited, his hands were all over her and she couldn't stop herself from feeling him - fingers in his short hair, down his strong, thick neck, over his broad shoulders, treading lightly down his arms, but she wanted to _feel_ him, so she pushed his jacket from his arms so that his limbs went straight behind his back and he struggled to tug it off, still desperately clinging to her lips with his own.

Daryl wasn't shy. Not with her, anyway, He was rough and bulky and a little clumsy, but certainly not shy. Not shy when he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Not shy when he took her top off and certainly not shy when they climbed that ladder to his loft, sinking into the soft cushion of his bed.

* * *

It was morning. They'd both succumbed to sleep at some point during the night, Daryl's arms around her body, her head nestled into the crook of his neck, smelling him. They'd shifted, she'd turned, curling up so that he was behind her, still just as close, but able to sleep.

They'd slept close like this before, when they were running, after the prison had fallen. Back to back, both facing out. Hands over their weapons. It was never intimate or delicate or as comforting as this had been. It had always been about survival. No emotions allowed. Just focus on staying alive.

She let her eyelids flutter open, the light of the day filling the loft up to the ceiling and she smiled. The bed was cozy and plush and _clean_ , but something was missing, she realized, as she stirred from her sleepy daze.

 _He was gone_.

It startled her and she gasped for a breath, like she had when she'd woken into this world for the first time, grasping the sides of the sheets, turning her head to look, but her fears had already been confirmed.

He was gone.

Her heart started pounding against her will, so she got dressed and climbed down from the loft. She was still drunk off the night before, off his body, his kisses, his _heat_ , but it was melting away as she realized the inevitable, and she suddenly felt cold, even though the morning was hot and she could feel it already radiating through the windows of the room.

Anxious, she peered through the window, pushing aside the translucent curtain, looking towards the farm. Empty. She scanned the room. His clothes were gone. Crossbow, gone. Bag, gone. And then, on the coffee table, she saw it - a small little piece of paper. _The last of him_.

His handwriting was scratchy and messy, smudged in places from - what? Tears? Sweat? Fuck, did it matter?

 _I'm doing this because I love you._

 _-D_

"No," she whimpered, sinking to the floor. She couldn't breathe. She was going to suffocate, she was sure of it. In this very room, her air supply was going to be cut off by her distress and she was going to die, right here on this dull hardwood floor. This wasn't something she could handle. Not now. Not after everything.

He left once. When they were still at the prison. He left because he thought it was the right thing to do because he didn't want to leave Merle, because he didn't want to burden the rest of them with his brother; his blood.

She gasped through her sobs, knowing she was going to need to come to after a while because someone would inevitably come looking for her. But she just couldn't stand it right now. She couldn't accept what he'd done. She hated _everything_ about this moment. About these feelings.

Beth had felt pain. Real, gut-wrenching pain. In both the physical and emotional sense in the world she'd come from. It had changed her as a human being. Things she'd gone through, decisions she had to make - it truly did change you forever. You discover what you're actually capable of. At a certain point, you just became numb. It helped you deal with things and it helped you survive. She'd learned that lesson at the hospital. Emotion can kill you.

The paper, a little weightless flattened strip of parchment, felt heavy in her hands. She stuffed it in her pocket, unsure of why she was even keeping it. Later, she would realize, she thought that might be the last part of Daryl she would ever see. She wiped her face - her eyes, nose and mouth and slipped quietly back into her house, back up the stairs and into her room.

* * *

She slept all day.

Her body ached from being with Daryl the night before. She could still feel him; his skin against hers, lips traveling from her own, to her neck, down her shoulders and further still. Her own against his beard, shoulders, arms; kissing every single one of his ten fingers - calloused and rough, though not as rough as they had been before. She remembered.

Tears were constant. The shuddering sobs that left her body, those were less often now. Her face was swollen, wet and hot - still, she kept the covers up over her head. She'd thought about calling him. Texting him. But she knew once Daryl made up his mind, he'd made up his mind. There was no sense in getting even more pathetic. Wasn't that how Jimmy had acted after Beth had broken up with him? That's not who she wanted to be.

She couldn't believe he'd left. After she'd told him she loved him. After they'd been together. Connected. _Made love_. It didn't make sense to Beth. She felt absolutely empty. Daryl had been her constant. He would always be her constant. With him, everything made sense. She felt like herself. Strong and smart and useful. She thought that maybe he'd felt that way with her too. But maybe he hadn't. If he left then, maybe she hadn't been enough. The doubt of what she'd thought about Daryl, the things she thought he'd been thinking and feeling, was heavy. Maybe she'd just been wrong all along.

When she finally emerged from the confines of her bed, she saw that the sky in the distance outside her window was a deep red-orange, darkness threatening its onset. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, trying, her very hardest, not to cry again.

Then, Maggie's knuckles were frantic against her door. "Beth?" She said her name gently. She wondered if Maggie had come in while she was sleeping. Or worse, _crying_.

She grunted towards the door.

Another knock. Faster. "Beth?" She sensed the concern.

"What?" Her voice was croaky, broken. Just like how she felt.

"Someone's here for you."

"Who?" she asked.

"The sheriff."

* * *

Beth was out of bed and down the stairs before Maggie had even moved away from her door. The darkness had settled, the sky now purple, sun settling in the distance.

The police cruiser was the same one from the night before, sitting in the driveway. Rick was leaning against the hood, his arms crossed. When she flew down the front steps towards him, Rick uncrossed them and pushed himself off the hood.

"Beth," he said her name gently. "Hi."

There was worry in his face. He was trying to hide it, but she could see.

"What's wrong?" She felt like she could collapse again. "Rick." He was hesitating. Biting his lip and shoving his hands in his pockets. God, something was _definitely_ wrong. "Rick?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "It's Daryl." He swallowed. "There's been an accident."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Well, this chapter went a little askew to say the least. I wasn't planning on having Beth and Daryl "get naked" together yet, but it just sort of happened (these things always sort of do, right?). Anyway, I didn't plan to put smut in this story, and still don't plan to, BUT I realize it would fit perfectly in this chapter so my plan is to do a deleted scene at some point in the near future when I'm feeling up to it as an M rating._

 _Also, this one ended up getting a little heavier than I intended, so I'm sorry for that! Don't hate me too much! :)_

 _Thanks as always for reading and please leave a review!_


	21. Chapter 21 - Choices

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 21 - Choices

* * *

Her vision tunneled in on Rick and the rest of the world went silent. She tried to turn over his words in her head. Daryl. Accident. There's been an accident. What kind of accident? Her brain wasn't connecting with her mouth. She wanted to ask, but she was just standing there, her hands at her sides, mouth slightly open, staring.

"He's okay," Rick said next and the tightness in her chest loosened slightly. "But he's in the hospital."

She processed that, the word _hospital_ and it terrified her. She knew it was because last time they were in a hospital they'd fallen into a different world. What if that happened to Daryl?

"What happened?" Her voice sounded foreign to her ears and the world seemed so warped and out of place that she wondered if she'd actually said it out loud.

"Merle," Rick said. "There was an incident with Merle. He was high and attacked Daryl in a fit of hallucinations," he said hurriedly. "Beat the crap out of him. He's pretty banged up, but he'll live."

"Does he still…" she swallowed, looking up to study Rick's face. They met eyes. "Does he still remember?"

"Yeah." He nodded. She sucked in air, tried to fill her lungs and hot tears of relief came slowly. Rick spoke again. "He asked me to come see if you'll come to see him. He wants to apologize."

Beth closed her eyes, remembering how she'd felt earlier that day when she'd woken up alone. How angry she'd been at him for _leaving_. The emptiness. The whole day filled with tears. How destroyed she'd felt realizing he could disappear from her life forever. But none of it came close to canceling out how she felt right now.

She knew that she needed to see him.

Realizing that Daryl must have told Rick some sort of version of what happened last night, she flushed against her will and twisted her toe into the dirt driveway. "Yeah, alright," she said quietly.

Rick let out a breath and nodded towards her, going around to the other side of the car to open the door for her. She got inside, thinking she would text Maggie later to let her know where she'd gone. She'd been in this car just a day ago, but it felt like years since then after everything that had happened with Daryl. It seemed like everything had changed.

"Is he at Grady?" she asked him, unsure, as he got into the car and started the engine. She wasn't positive she could handle going back there again. She'd sort of had enough of Grady and Atlanta, for a while.

Rick shook his head. "No, the local hospital they got over by Dawsonville - Chestatee Regional." Well, that gave her some relief. But she still didn't like the idea of him being in a hospital, no matter which one it was.

She was still tearing apart Rick's story in her head about Daryl, and something wasn't sitting right. Finally, she realized what it was. The kiss in the rain. Daryl's cell phone ringing. Merle, locked up. "I thought Merle was in jail?"

They'd reached the end of the driveway and Rick turned out onto the main road. "Yeah, well, that's the interesting part of this whole thing." He was faced towards the road, but Beth could see him watching her from the corner of his eyes. "He told Daryl that someone named Philip bailed him out."

"Philip?" She racked her brain for the familiar name. "As in, The Governor Philip?" Beth asked in a gasp.

"If I was to guess, I'd say you were right. He had said he was keeping tabs on everyone he'd met in the old world. Merle was a big part of Woodbury, even though he betrayed him. I'd reckon he'd want to see what Merle remembered."

"Does Merle remember?" She thought back to how he looked on the front porch when she'd seen him last. Dressed in nothing but underwear, eyes rolling in his head. High. Completely unaware of what was going on around him.

"Hard to say," Rick answered. "He's in bad shape, Daryl said. He would have never attacked him otherwise."

Beth nodded. She knew that was true. As much of an asshole as Merle Dixon was, he always looked out for his younger brother. She knew drugs could really _do things_ to a person. Change them. Destroy their lives. She remembered Daryl telling her stories, in the old world, how he always stayed away from that kind of crap. Smoked a little pot here and there, but never the hard stuff. Merle had done enough drugs for them both.

"He told me what happened," Rick said then. "That he left you." He looked at her again from the corner of his eye. "He felt pretty rotten about it."

Beth sighed. "Daryl is stubborn," she said. "He thinks I'm better off without him."

"And what do you think?" Rick asked, sounding like her father.

"I think he's bein' stupid."

Rick nodded. "So do I. Told him so too."

"And what'd he say to that?"

Rick thought for a minute, rubbing his chin with his hand like he was thinking. "He's worried about all sorts of things. Waking up in this world has been rough for all of us, but Daryl doesn't think he's any good to anyone anymore." Rick turned towards her then as they pulled up to a red light. "He's afraid."

"Of what?" Beth asked, looking at Rick.

"Of startin' over. Of not havin' much but the clothes on his back…Of you," Rick said with a small smile. "He's afraid of how he feels. I think this kind of stuff," he paused awkwardly, "with women, is…new for him." He looked back at the road as the light changed. "But you know Daryl. He just wants to do the right thing. He's _trying._ He made a mistake and he feels shitty about it. He might just need a little guidance."

Rick's words settled and she thought them through, realizing she hadn't really thought of Daryl as being afraid, just that he was being a stubborn asshole. She sort of thought, that much like everyone else, he was treating her like a child, choosing what he thought was the right thing for her. The right decision.

She'd thought about it all wrong though. Daryl had shown her that she could be strong, she could be brave - he took her thoughts and opinions and advice into consideration. He valued what she thought, and just because they were here now in this new world, it didn't mean that changed. She felt horrible for not realizing it sooner. She should have known how he felt.

"I love him," Beth said to Rick. She wasn't sure why she'd said it, but she did. She needed someone else to know.

Rick nodded, understandingly. Knowingly. "I know," he said, and then added, "He loves you too, you know."

She nodded then. She did know that. "Yeah," was all she said in response. "I know."

She looked out the window to the flat land that they were passing. Green, vast and boring. It never got old to Beth, seeing the world the way it was now. She would never forget what it used to look like - the world felt like it was on fire - untouchable and frightening. Everything was a threat. Every choice you made determined whether you lived or died.

At first, she thought it might be extremely difficult to readjust to this kind of life, but she found it was much simpler than she originally thought. She was accepting of it. She allowed new routines and rituals to take over. She gave up the fear. She was okay with it. She thought, maybe everyone else had been like that too, but maybe…maybe, not. Maybe now she needed to take the time to really understand how Daryl was feeling.

"How's Michonne holdin' up?" Beth asked casually, trying to move on from her thoughts.

Rick didn't answer, so she turned towards him. His grip on the steering wheel had tightened. Knuckles white. Jaw clenched. "I'm not sure." He said it quietly. "I haven't talked to her since the other night." There was sadness embedded in his words.

"It was overwhelming," Beth tried to rationalize. "She probably just needs some time."

"You're right," he agreed with a nod. "I want to give her some time before I go knockin' down her door. She's gotta make her own decision about this. I don't want to influence her. She needs to figure out what's the best decision for herself. She's got a family. She's got a whole life."

"We all do," Beth answered quickly. "You got a family too. Judith, Carl - Lori." That just sort of slipped out. She hadn't really meant to bring her up. She was sure it was a sore subject for Rick, but he didn't turn towards her to acknowledge it at all. Instead, his grip loosened on the steering wheel.

"I want to be with Michonne," Rick said simply. "Lori and me," he shook his head, "that ship's sailed. Plus, she's got Shane now and," his voice cracked. "Things'll work themselves out. They always do. Nothin's harder than what we already went through." He stopped again at another stoplight and looked at her.

She nodded her head towards him. "Yeah," she responded. "You're right."

"Michonne. Havin' her son back, I think she's just afraid of losing him again, even though it's not rational. She changed after he died. If she didn't want to remember his death and what happened and the choices she had to make then, well," he shook his head, "I can't say I blame her. I can barely imagine that pain. And we all went through horrific things."

"They made us who we are though," Beth argued timidly. "I wouldn't be _me_ if I hadn't been through all of those things, especially with Daryl. I can't imagine what she went through. But I also can't imagine forgettin'. She can still be a Mom to Andre and remember."

"I think so too." He sounded grateful for her input. "I think it's painful for her to try to make this decision. I got no business tellin' her what's right and what's wrong. She knows I'm here for her, if she decides to remember. I ain't gonna forget her, that's for sure. No matter what she decides."

The conversation was more painful than she anticipated it to be. She felt sorry for both Rick and Michonne. How complicated this process must be for them with kids to think about it on top of it all. It suddenly felt like what her and Daryl were going through was child's play.

"Are you doin' okay, Rick?" she asked, genuinely curious, turning towards him in her seat.

He let out a low sigh, his shoulders slumping. He didn't look at her though, he kept his focus on the road. "Yeah," he said honestly. "I'm okay. There's just, a lot going on at home. Carl doesn't remember and I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Judith," he frowned, stopping himself. "It's difficult."

 _Because she's not yours_. "I can imagine," Beth said softly. "I miss her. Judith. Since the prison."

"Don't blame you," Rick responded, still sad. "You were like a mother to her. And, god. I love that little girl like she's my own," Rick said. "I can't imagine her not bein' part of my family. There was always that chance that she wasn't mine, you know? But now…I know." He was rubbing his chin again. "It's just difficult to accept." He let a breath go. "And needing to deal with Shane all over again. I'm not sure I'm equipped for it."

"Oh you can do anything," Beth said to him and he slightly smiled at that. "Nothin's harder than what we already went through," she echoed his words.

"Thanks Beth," he said. "And, ain't that the truth?"

Dealing with the new world, while remembering the old. It would take some time. It would take some effort on her part to settle into a new normal, but she wasn't willing to give it up. She wasn't willing to give Daryl up. She couldn't imagine her life without him.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Short chapter tonight, sorry about that. I thought about combining this chapter and the next one, but I really wanted this to just be a Beth and Rick chapter, so…yeah. Plus, next chapter we'll see Daryl and there will be some bigger, heavier things happening so that sort of needs to stand alone on its own. Anyway, THANK YOU for reading, following and favoriting and please leave a review!_


	22. Chapter 22 - The Chaos Was Constant

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 22 - The Chaos Was Constant

* * *

The hospital was a four-story brick building that appeared suddenly as they turned a corner. Rick pulled into a small parking lot with sparse lighting. The sun had set fully as they were driving, shrouding them in a dark blanket of night, stars sprinkling the sky in the distance, moon heavy and bright above them. The air around them was just right. Comfortably warm.

Rick parked the cruiser and they entered the hospital together, a blast of cool air hitting Beth as she walked through the pristine automatic doors which slid open obediently for them both. As they entered, she looked around frantically, like for some reason, Daryl would appear out of nowhere. But she was greeted by nothing more than an empty waiting room with red, fabric chairs, and a sorry looking receptionist who was arguing with someone on her cell phone.

She paused for a minute, letting Rick take the lead, walking straight past the front desk and towards the elevator. Apprehensively, Beth joined him and they stepped in, traveling slowly (excruciatingly) up one floor, into a similar level that held a single row of doors, and a small nurses area.

The sounds she heard were similar to Grady. Beeping. Clicking. People speaking in low whispers. Just as it had been when she'd woken up. Unpleasantly, she was transported back for a moment, thinking about how much everything had changed since that day, since the day before that, how scared she'd been when she woke up - how hopeful she was to find Daryl. And then, when she'd found him, how the overwhelming sense of _safety_ encompassed her completely, and she felt whole again, without a real explanation as to why.

Of course, she knew now. She wondered if Daryl had felt that sense of completion too. The moment of clarity when The Governor had brought up the concept of having a constant. And if he had, she struggled to understand why he left.

Rick had stopped in front of a door. Closed and wooden, a narrow window above the handle. He peered in. Smiled, then looked back at Beth.

"Going to give you some time with him," was all he said. And then he brushed past her, continuing down the hall behind her.

She watched him go, feeling uneasy for a minute. Then she looked back at the door. Into the window.

Daryl looked pained. Sad. Lying in the narrow bed, his hair a mess, eyes tired and puffy - practically slants. His face identical to how it had been _that night_. With the moonshine. She had tried to wash away his cloud of guilt over what happened at the prison and she'd been able to crack his shell open and it was the first time she'd seen him. _Really_ seen him. What was underneath that mask he worked so hard to put on. There had been glimpses, here and there. With Judith. With Carol. With Rick. And then, with her.

She caught him as he realized she was standing there. Perhaps he'd felt her presence, but she refused to meet his eyes, instead taking in his body, tucked into the bed, knitted blue blanket up to his chest.

It was then, she realized, that she was angry at him. She didn't want to be, but the emotion came nonetheless and she'd given up trying to suppress them. He had left her, and she was hurt.

He left. Even after that whole night with the Governor and kissing and _touching_ , holding each other - words not being enough. Words were never enough with Daryl. He always showed her how he felt. _Especially_ last night. He hadn't held back in the least and maybe it was because he'd been planning to leave all along. She could still feel his mouth on her skin, her lips, her neck, hands in her hair, on her back, grabbing her hips. Gasps, from both of them, echoing in the air, initial discomfort and then, the unmistakable sensation of pleasure. The comedown. Sleep.

Beth looked down, shaking the memory. Glanced at the handle of the door and placed her hands on it, one on top of the other, resting. She pushed down, to turn, then put her weight against the door so it would swing inwards.

The room was stuffy, but sterile smelling. Like they hadn't gotten the air conditioning working quite right yet, but had cleaned the whole place with bleach before Daryl had gotten in. She allowed herself to come into the room, letting the door shut behind her, the handle slipping back into place. She stood, awkwardly, in front of the door.

Daryl cleared his throat.

Beth looked around the room. Anywhere, but at him. She was afraid of herself in the moment. Afraid of exploding on him. Afraid of crying. Afraid of leaping towards him in the bed. She didn't know what her reaction would be if she met his eyes.

"There's a chair there," he offered.

A worn, wooden one sat lonely in the corner of the room. She went towards it and made no move to pull it towards his bed. She sat, bringing her legs up underneath herself, sitting crosslegged and chewing on her fingernails. Her eyes met the floor, observing the specks in the pattern, following each crack.

"Hi." His voice was low. Guilty. As well it should be. "Thanks for coming."

"What happened?" she asked, looking him over apprehensively. He looked okay. Limbs still in tact. Head on straight. Face, sharp and handsome. No clear damage from where she was sitting.

He brought the blanket away from himself and she saw a large bandage covering the left side of his stomach. Tinged a deep pink. Blood. "Merle," he grumbled. "I took the bus back to the Dawsonville." She flinched at that. The mention of him leaving. "He was so mad at me for comin' back, he attacked me. High as a kite. Had a swiss army knife on him. Tried to gut me like a fish."

She winced without meaning to. "You okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'll be fine. Just need to heal up. I been through worse."

She nodded, knowing. "Rick said The Governor bailed Merle out," Beth commented, crossing her arms. "That right?" She raised an eyebrow for good measure.

Daryl nodded again. "Mmhm, least that's what I reckon. Merle don't got too many friends, especially ones named Philip." He smirked a little. "Gotta figure out what's goin' on between them when I get outta here. Don't like the idea of Merle hangin' around with The Governor again."

"Yeah," she responded, looking around the room. "So, how'd you get here?"

"Called Rick." Of course he called Rick. He wouldn't have called her. He'd left. He hadn't wanted to see her. "He called Shane who caught Merle walkin' down the street smokin' his pipe. Dad was passed out on the couch through it all." He shook his head. "Motherfucker."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," Beth said coldly, suddenly regretting she'd come. She focused her eyes back on the very uninteresting floor. She knew she should be more sympathetic. She should be fawning over him, tending to him - that was in her nature. But she just couldn't _understand_.

The silence was thick. It was a few minutes before he spoke again, though she could feel his eyes radiating over her. Her heart was going a mile a minute.

"Beth, I…missed you," he grumbled.

She looked up at that, looking at him, for just a second. He was staring at her curiously. Wanting to see her reaction. "Yeah? Why'd you leave then?" she managed to ask.

He let out a sigh. From anxiety? Frustration? Hadn't he known that question was coming? She found herself become annoyed with him. "I'm sorry." The words came out uneven.

"You sure about that?" She chomped down on her thumbnail, biting off part of the tip.

"Beth." She remembered his tongue between his teeth as he said her name into her mouth. Only a day before. She wanted to feel him again. God, she was so conflicted. "There's no excuse….I…" he paused. "Fuck." That came out in a whisper. "Please…" He was struggling to find his words.

"You shouldn't have left," she said firmly, interrupting him. "Don't care what you thought was best. I _needed_ you. Woke up and you were gone. To a _note_." Her voice was shaking with anger. "I thought this meant something to you."

"It does," he protested more calmly than she would have liked. "Beth, I'm _sorry_ ," he said, pleadingly and she looked up again and he was still looking at her, his blue eyes twinkling beneath his heavy lids, crinkled in the corners with a sad sort of gaze. "I don't…" he sighed, breathing in, catching the breath and steadying himself, "I don't know how to do this."

Beth let out an exasperated sort of sigh. "For starters?" she said. "Don't leave." His mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile at that and he ran his hand through his hair. She continued, "I thought that was the last time I was ever gonna see you."

"Beth," he whispered her name again and it sent shivers down her backbone. "I would've come back," he admitted. "I'm not sure I could really stay away from you. I just…want what's best for you."

"Then stop trying to make decisions for me," Beth exclaimed. " _You_ are what's best for me. I can't be me without you." Ugh. That sounded corny. Her emotion was spilling over. Tears starting to brim. "You're my constant, yeah? Like, you know what I've been through, I know what you've been through - you don't _find_ that very often. If ever. Don't you know that?" She chewed her lip. "Jesus, Daryl. We found each other in parallel universes."

"I don't know anythin' about these kinds of things," he said.

"Oh, and I do?" she asked.

"Better than me, yeah," he said. "Feelings and shit. You're better at that kinda stuff. Feelin' like this towards someone, it's just," he sighed, "new for me. How I feel. And I'm sorry. I don't know how to be good for you."

She shook her head. "Stop thinkin' this is all wrong. That you're all wrong for me. If this is what you want Daryl then, please, don't push me away." A tear escaped. She felt it fall, drop down her cheek.

"I want to be with you." It was the loudest he'd spoken since she'd been here. "But there are things we gotta think about Beth, Jesus, I got almost twenty years on you. And, I don't got a job, or a degree or any of that shit."

"I don't care!" Beth yelled at him, surprised by her own anger.

"But you will," he argued right back. He'd balled his hands into fists. "Say we do stay together, we do try to work this out - then what? I ain't no better than Merle. My dad. I'm boring. Messy."

"And I complain about stupid shit. I like musicals. Chew my fingernails. Daryl, nobody's fuckin' perfect. I _know_ how you feel about me and I know how I feel about you. That's enough. We'll figure the rest of it out."

He stared at her, then back towards the bed. "Okay." It was more certain than it was apprehensive.

He seemed to let a breath go, blowing it away, like he would cigarette smoke. The room was silent again. And then, "I'm sorry I left. It was dumb and selfish and…" he hesitated, "I'm sorry." He paused with a heavy breath. "I'm _tryin'…_ I'll be better, I'll…" He was trying to convince her. She watched him watch her. He fucked up. And he knew he fucked up.

"Daryl." She said his name much softer this time. Her own guilt rising up in her chest.

"No. I'm a dumbass. If you want to…leave, it's okay...I'll..." He didn't finish the sentence, because he didn't _want_ her to go, she realized. He was cracking open. Spilling over. On the verge of tears. Chin tucked to his chest, looking down at himself. _Hating himself_. And she just couldn't let it happen for a second longer.

Feet on the ground, she straightened her legs as she stood and he acknowledged it, his head rising up, though still ashamed and fearful and angry at himself. She went to him, up to the edge of his bed, sitting on the blanket. Her thigh touched his arm and she reached for his hand with her own.

"I meant what I said last night, okay?" she whispered to him. "I love you. No matter what's goin' on, that's not just gonna melt away. No matter how angry you make me."

"I know that," he mumbled. He was looking down at their hands intertwined. His skin, tanned and brown - her own, white and freckled. His gaze shifted, and he met her eyes and immediately, she was lost. "I love you," he said. "And I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier."

She'd known and she'd felt it, even after he'd left, but to hear him say out loud it was something else entirely. She felt like she was melting into the bed, her hand grasped tighter around his and she forgot to breathe for a minute. She wanted to kiss him and touch him and be with him, but at that moment, they both heard the door open, and the moment was gone.

She took a breath.

"I'm sorry." An unfamiliar voice echoed in the room and Beth turned her head, chin to her shoulder and saw a nurse standing in the doorway. "But, visiting hours are over." The scene was oddly familiar.

Still, Beth knew it must have been late, so she nodded in understanding, although she was pained to leave Daryl again. She leaned towards him quickly and kissed him, nothing more than a brush of her own lips against his, a tickle of his beard on her chin. She nudged his nose affectionately before pulling away. In return, he touched her cheek with his hand, brushing her chin with his thick thumb, exploring her face with his eyes, then letting go.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Beth said with a nod. "I'll be here in the morning. Gonna let Daddy know what happened to you. Tell him you'll be back on the farm when you recover." She told him this, leaving no room for protest.

"See you tomorrow," Daryl echoed with a nod of his head and Beth took her cue and left the room, giving the nurse a soft smile on the way out.

Rick was standing in the hallway near the elevator they'd rode up in, his back against the wall, arms crossed, looking down. As she approached him, he glanced towards her, lifting himself off the wall.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Beth smiled, letting the sides of her mouth curve upwards. Letting go of her anger. Making room for understanding. "It went alright." She met Ricks eyes, her own glinting a little mischievously. "He _apologized_."

"Wow," Rick said, turning to press the button to the elevator. "Might be a first for Daryl."

She let out a soft laugh. "Maybe."

As the elevator doors opened, Beth realized how incredibly tired she was, even though she'd practically slept the day away. She was emotionally tired, her brain fried, legs and arms weak and she wanted nothing more to do than collapse into her bed and have a good rest. She hadn't thought it was possible for a long time, even after she'd woken up here. She thought she would never get back to normal.

But now, everything seemed to have fallen into place. Daryl had realized his mistake. They were _together_. In love. Truly. And all was right in the world.

Of course, when the elevators doors spat them back out on the main floor and they heard the sudden commotion of bodies piling in through the automatic doors, straight through to the emergency room, and a pained, blood-stained Michonne, carrying a screaming Andre in her arms, hurried next to a stretcher with a completely unrecognizable body on it, Beth felt like she was right back to where she'd come from.

The chaos was constant.

* * *

"Michonne!" Rick called her name before Beth could wrap her head around what was happening.

Michonne turned, Andre still screaming in her arms, his face wet with tears and snot. Michonne's own face stretched into a panic, eyes worried. Stunned. She was covered in blood. Much like how Beth and Rick and the others had first met her. She wasn't saying anything.

The stretcher had disappeared behind another set of doors, back into the emergency room. Beth stared at them wondering who it could possibly be now. Were they going to find someone else who remembered? It all seemed like strange. Disorienting. All was _not_ right with the world. Rick went to Michonne, placing his hand on her shoulder. Firmly gripping. Trying not to panic.

Ricks eyes met Michonne's and she fell apart. Instinctually, Beth moved forward, relieving Michonne of her son, bouncing his body in her arms. He calmed. Beth had found, with Judith, that kids can always pick up on how you're feeling and reacting to something. His breaths were still coming in shudders, but he had stopped crying. He buried his face into her neck and she squeezed him. _What happened?_

Rick had guided Michonne over to the waiting area and she sat in one of the chairs, clutching to the sides of it. He had settled next to her. Arm on her back. Trying to coax her into speaking.

Beth followed them, sitting with Andre, situating him on her lap. He leant back, his head on her chest and she tried to stay as calm as she could as she watched Rick and Michonne together.

"What happened?" he was asking her, echoing Beth's question, and Michonne looked at him, shaking her head.

"There was a crash."

"A car crash? Are you hurt?" he asked, panicked, looking her over.

"I'm fine. Andre's fine. We avoided it. But it happened, right in front of me." The words were spilling out, rolling over one another hurriedly.

"Who was on the stretcher?" Instantly, he knew and Beth knew too, it was someone they all knew.

Not meaning to, Beth leaned forward and Andre whined in her lap.

Michonne shook her head. Looked at Beth. Back at Rick.

"It was Glenn."

 _Was_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hi guys. Just a few notes…If you're following my other story Graduate, I've already posted about this, so you've probably already seen this!_

 _I've started doing something new and posting new chapters to my new "writing" Tumblr at caitlinwritesstuff. I'm a huge music buff, so I use music a lot as inspiration for my stories. I thought it might be cool to include that with each chapter. So, if you're interested in seeing that, please follow me over there! I'll be adding past stories with all my song inspirations as well, over time._

 _On another note, I'm getting married at the end of August, so posting may slow down a little bit in the weeks to come as things get more hectic. Then I will be on a two-week hiatus from August 25 - September 6. Once I get back I will try to get back into my normal posting! Thanks for your patience!_

 _Also, as always, thanks so much for reading, following and favoriting and please leave a review! You guys are the best!_


	23. Chapter 23 - Gone

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 23 - Gone

* * *

Michonne buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shuddering. Andre whined towards her, his arms stretched, reaching for his mother. Beth gripped him tighter. Michonne needed a minute to herself.

"He didn't make it," she whispered to both of them between her fingers.

"You don't know that," Rick whispered right back, hand on her back, rubbing gently. Certain.

But Michonne was more certain, forcefully shaking her head at him. "I saw him Rick. He's gone. They could barely…" her voice broke with a sob, "keep him together. When they pulled him from the…" She trailed off, unable to finish.

Rick had almost wrapped his arms completely around her. Holding her. Like he was trying to keep her from physically falling apart.

"Are you sure it was him?" he was asking her and Michonne was nodding. Crying. Sobbing.

It was painful to watch, Michonne reenact the events she'd seen and Beth found her own breath catch in her throat, in her chest and she sucked down a cry, not wanting to let it out. She wished Daryl was with her. She wished things could go back to normal. But then, what really was normal anymore anyway?

Andre struggled in her arms, crying out for Michonne. "Ma! Ma!" His voice came in frantic shouts and finally Michonne looked up and reached out for him and he hopped right off of Beth's lap to give some semblance of comfort to his mother.

Rick turned to Beth. "I'm going to see what I can find out," he whispered, just to her. "Maybe it's not him," he tried to suggest, but when Beth met his eyes, she knew he didn't even believe himself.

But Beth was still hopeful. She had to be. Without hope, they didn't really have much, so she held onto it, though it was small, nodding at Rick as he stood from his seat to try and get information from someone. She moved to fill the chair that Rick was standing from, to be near Michonne who was cradling her toddler.

Andre reached up, touched Michonne's face, gently, small fingers brushing away her tears. Lovingly. Beth thought of Judith and let out a soft cry. She placed a hand on Michonne's back, just as Rick had done, feeling her sharp inhales as she tried to catch her breath. Michonne looked over at her sadly.

"I thought things would be better here," Michonne said. "But somehow, they're just as fucked up as ever."

Beth hadn't realized it until now, but she did sort of agree with Michonne. Sure, here people weren't eating each other and the world still worked the way it had before the turn, but things hadn't settled for any of them. She saw Michonne's inner turmoil. Of deciding about whether or not to forget Rick. And not just Rick, but Carl, Judith, Beth and Daryl too.

Rick was walking back from wherever he had gone. A man, short and plump, dressed in a white jacket and scrubs, followed him on his heels. Beth tried to read the doctor's face, but it seemed blank. Poker face. She wondered if he had been trained to keep a stoic expression regardless of the news he was delivering.

They stopped in front of Michonne, Beth and Andre, Rick letting his body fall into a chair beside Beth. The doctor took them in, shoving his hands in the pockets of his white coat. His eyes darted around. To the wall behind them. Up to the ceiling. Down, to look at Andre.

Beth felt like she was in a movie. Waiting for news, not knowing what was coming. And sometimes in the movies the news was bad, sometimes it was good. There was just no way of knowing.

"We've just notified the family," the doctor started and Beth felt her heart sink all the way down into her stomach, "but, I'm so sorry - Glenn Rhee unfortunately didn't make it."

The world spun.

Beth felt Michonne erupt into tears beside her. Rick gripped the sides of his chair and Beth felt like she could have slid right out of her chair and onto the floor. The emotion was suffocating - a sensation she thought she'd have gotten used to by now, but it seemed to get harder each time.

Death. It was so permanent. Or so she thought. She'd gotten back everyone she'd lost in this world, and then some. When Glenn had appeared at their door, when she'd found Daryl at the hospital, Rick awake from a coma, Michonne at the station - she'd thought how lucky she was to have everyone she'd lost and pieces of the family she'd been with for years.

But now, they'd truly lost someone from this world, and that was new. Fiercely new. She wanted to understand it. Figure out what it meant. Wrap her head around it, but her head - it was swimming. Everything felt fuzzy and unclear and overwhelming.

Until, a realization hit her like a wave. Crashing over her. She broke out into a sweat, her hands trembling as she tried to get to her feet.

"I need to get to Maggie."

* * *

She was vaguely aware that Rick had corralled them all back into the cruiser. He had tugged the carseat from Michonne's car and strapped it into his own, Michonne and her son sat together in the backseat. As he started the car, Beth looked over at him, tears in her eyes.

She wanted to ask if they should tell Daryl. Find out what his thoughts were. But couldn't find her words. "Daryl?" was all she said.

Rick shook his head, his own face solemn. Jaw clenched in anger at the unfairness of it all. "Let him sleep tonight. Recover. We'll tell him…the news…tomorrow."

He couldn't say it out loud and she didn't blame him. The thought of Glenn being gone was too fresh. Too real. She wasn't sure any of them had actually processed it.

She was slightly annoyed at the thought of not telling Daryl. At the thought of Rick telling her what to do. After everything that had happened over the past two days, all she wanted was Daryl's arms around her - to feel him, to feel protected. To feel maybe, not so alone. She wanted to pick his brain about what it all meant. She knew he didn't have all the answers - or any of the answers for that matter, and maybe bringing the news down on him would make her feel worse all over again, maybe it was selfish and pitiful, but she ached for him. Physically, every tendon in her body ached for him.

But she had to get to Maggie.

The roads all mixed together, turns confused her, landscapes flooding past her in splotches of purple and black in the dark of the night. She thought of what she might tell her sister and then, how her sister might react. Disbelief, at first. Surely. Needing to go to the hospital to make sure it was all real. She'd need to see it, or hear it, from someone other than Beth, though she had no reason to doubt her.

Beth realized she didn't understand the extent of Maggie and Glenn's relationship in this world. They were dating. He'd been over the house a few times - but did they love each other? She had seen real, unwavering, enduring love between them in the old world. The kind of love you don't _ever_ experience in times of such turmoil, the rarest sort of thing one could have ever imagined. It was magical and terrifying all at once.

The butterflies, Beth had felt at the funeral home. She had recognized them for what they were. Some type of _feeling_ and it had scared her. She didn't have time to understand it or dissect it, only to realize that she had it. If they had more time together, if she hadn't have been taken, if they'd kept that door shut and lived there, together, as Daryl had suggested. Made a home. Maybe her and Daryl would have been that way too. But it wasn't the way things had played out, and, she supposed, that was okay, because they were here, together now.

But Glenn and Maggie had a different story. Their love had been stronger in the old world than it had been here. And what did that mean?

They turned again and Beth realized they were on the road to the farm, long and empty, the driveway coming into view at the end of it. She realized she wasn't ready to say anything to Maggie.

She didn't have much time to wonder though, because it was clear something was off about the farm. More _things_ that were in the driveway. She thought, maybe there were people over, but she hadn't remembered that from when she'd left. She tried to rack her brain, make it _work,_ figure out why all of the sudden an uneasiness rose in her chest.

There were lights. Rick slowed down, she felt him lift off the gas pedal and step onto the break. The car screeched, however slightly, but she felt it. He'd hesitated. And the fear became a reality.

As they came closer, it was abundantly clear. There was an ambulance. A big, heavy truck, the lights flashing obnoxiously against the dark sky. Police. Those red, blue, white lights she'd been greeted with when she first woke up in the world and looked out the window. Flashing. Blinding.

Rick turned up the driveway. She could feel his glance on her and she didn't return it. Michonne had quieted. Andre was whimpering. But Beth ignored it all.

The cruiser came to a rolling stop at the top of the driveway, as far up as it could have gone. There was a policeman waving at them through the windshield, telling them to not come any further. To stop.

The door was open before she'd realized she'd opened it and Beth stumbled out, forgetting the rest of them back in the car, her head still spinning. She was suddenly aware of how tired she was. How long her day had been. Being with Daryl felt like a lifetime ago.

"Stop!" the policeman was yelling at her, dressed in his uniform, a scowl on his face.

"I goddamn live here," she hissed at him, pushing him away as she came around his car, up to the ambulance, still hot from travel. Beyond it, by one of the trees, she saw her family, standing. Huddled. Crying.

She let her legs go, racing towards them, searching them, for the missing link. She saw Annette, weeping. Her long hair, usually swept back into a neat bun behind her head, was loose, strands in her face, sticking to her brow as she cried. Her father, beside her mother, unfaltering, holding her as best he could as she collapsed into him in heaves. He himself was quivering, overcome with emotion. And that scared her the most.

Shawn was holding one of the cats, crying into the fur, his broad shoulders shuddering and Beth found that she had succumbed to her tears as she reached them all, shaking her head wildly, searching the rest of the grass for the person she knew was missing. The person she'd deep down, maybe known was missing all along.

Maggie.

Suddenly, she was gone from the scene. A child again. Maggie, older, more rebellious, dark hair and wild eyes, was with her. Playing and teasing Shawn. Picking dandelions and blowing their seeds into the wind. Sunlight. Happiness. Deep, belly laughter.

It was gone, instantly. Maggie was gone, she knew it before she fell into the crook of her father's arm. Before he brushed her face, tucked her hair behind her ear gently. Lovingly.

"Bethie," he said her name in a whisper. A contrast to the chaos erupting around them. "Maggie." He trailed off. Lost himself. Cried. He let go, releasing the emotion in sobs, Beth doing the same into his shirt.

She didn't ask what happened. She didn't need to. All she knew was that her sister was gone, and that's all she needed to know. Processing, maybe it would come later. She felt like she was outside her body - looking in on the scene, unable to comprehend. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe none of this was real. She didn't know how a human being could hold so much inside.

Then, the front door of the farm opened. The home looked eerie, lights on in almost every room, bright against the darkness of the night. A stretcher was being forced through their small screen door, pushed against its hinges, threatening to break. There was a body on it, covered with a thin sheet. And Beth realized, if she looked close enough, she could see the outline of Maggie's nose.

The men beside the stretcher did their best to wheel her out quickly, struggling down the stairs, onto the dirt road, quickly to the big ambulance that looked unwelcome in the driveway. Beth realized Rick and Michonne were still there, faces solemn, blank. Unsure of what was happening.

Maggie, or whatever was left of her, disappeared inside the ambulance. She felt her father's grip leave her and he started towards the truck. He needed to ask them questions. Know where Maggie would be going. What the next steps were and Beth wanted to help. To hold him up and be strong with him, but she knew, in this moment, that she couldn't be.

Beth was at a hilt. Like if anything else happened, anything at all, she would break - shatter, into a million tiny pieces and scatter across the dirt floor, blowing off into the wind. Like the dandelion seeds. And maybe it would be better that way. To just disappear. She wasn't sure how much more she could handle.

She'd felt this way before. It wasn't foreign to her. First, when Shawn and Momma had died. When Jimmy had died. And then, when Daddy had died. But she'd forgotten. And that was the amazing part of it all, wasn't it? The human's will to live and their eagerness to _forget_. Much like a mother pregnant with a second, third, fourth child. They forget the pain of childbirth, only to have another baby. To reproduce. It seemed to be the same with death. To become unafraid. To forget the pain it caused. To forget what it felt like to lose someone. So that you could keep on living.

Without the ability to shift her weight onto someone else, Beth stumbled over her legs, wobbly and unreliable, down onto the dirt floor, her rear and thighs hitting the solid ground with a quick sharp pain. Shawn was beside her instantly, letting the cat go and she laid against him, needing someone in the moment, as he did too.

Annette went after her husband and her two remaining children watched their parents, huddled against the ambulance, whatever they were hearing too much for them to bear. Annette collapsed onto the ground and Beth cried out for her, unable to get to her own feet, and Hershel slammed his fist against the side of the truck, crying into the side of it, screaming in agony.

The world was still spinning. And Beth wished it would stop.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry. This chapter is heavy and sad and it sucks and I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! I really wanted to show the harsh truth behind these parallel realities. If someone dies in the old world, they end up in the "new" world. I think it would also work vice versa too. And I like to think that Maggie and Glenn are ultimately happy in the "old" world, with each other and some Glaggie babies too._

 _Daryl will return next chapter and there will be a bunch of Bethyl feels coming up. Someone will have to help Beth through this tragedy and, OBVIOUSLY it's going to be Daryl. So stick with me! Please! :)_

 _As always, thank you for all of the follows, favorites and reviews. Thanks as always for reading, for traveling with me on the journey of this story and please, if you like this story (or don't), please leave a review!_

 _Song Inspiration: "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale_

 _Follow me on Tumblr: caitlinwritesstuff_

 _Follow me on Twitter: camurray4688_


	24. Chapter 24 - Sorry For Your Loss

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 24 - Sorry For Your Loss

* * *

Night passed. Morning came. She wasn't sure it would.

Beth had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs. If you could even call it sleeping _._ More like drifting in and out of consciousness. And she was sure the only reason she'd done that was because of how completely exhausted her body was. Tears dried up. Face swollen. Empty, uneasy, nauseous stomach. Pounding, debilitating headache.

Rick and Michonne had stayed for a while, offering comforting words, not sure what to do with themselves. They'd loved Maggie too, Beth knew. But she couldn't think about anyone else right now. She was trying to keep herself together.

They'd left eventually, on account of Andre needing to sleep. Rick getting back to his family. Hershel and Annette had gone to do whatever they needed to do to _take care of Maggie_. When they returned the sun was up.

Shawn was in the armchair next to her, snoring. He had downed a few shots of Daddy's whiskey at some point during the night. Offered it to Beth. She refused. Hershel and Annette had disappeared upstairs, and Beth was left, staring out the window, the sun too bright for her puffy blue eyes.

Eventually, after what felt like days, she got up. She was at a complete loss as to what time it was, maybe even what day it was. She sensed that it was the afternoon. She'd heard her cell phone ringing a few times, then stop. She somehow made it into the kitchen to find it on the counter.

Rick, Patricia, an unknown number had called a few times - that must have been Daryl.

She was crying again, not even realizing when or how she'd started. Her body trembling; empty. The death of her father in the old world had somehow been easier. Perhaps because they'd needed to run afterwards. Perhaps she hadn't had time to really, truly sit down and process things immediately. Not until she was sitting in the shack with Daryl, days later.

It was immediate - the need to be with him. Rationally, she knew she should stay at home, with her family. She should be here, comforting. But in this moment, she needed comfort herself. And she didn't think anyone here could give it to her.

* * *

Somehow she made it to the hospital. She must have driven on auto-pilot because by the time she'd gotten into the parking lot, she realized she hadn't remembered the drive at all.

She stumbled out of the truck. It was like she was intoxicated with sadness. The world was a blur and she could only focus on getting inside. Getting through the doors. Getting to Daryl. The hospital was confusing. Doors. Beeping. People.

Somehow, she made it to his room, pushing the door open frantically and standing in the doorway. Alone and static, almost unable to breathe.

Daryl sat in his bed, watching the television like nothing was wrong. She thought of when she had walked in on him watching The Price is Right. She almost smiled at that, then hated herself for it. She had no right to smile at anything right now.

His glance shifted and he took her in, smiling instantly, then, as he studied her, his face fell. He knew something wasn't right. Her face must have said it all.

"Beth," he said slowly, sitting up straight. "I've been tryin' to reach you. What's goin' on…"

She broke. She had cried last night, this morning - but not like this. It was pure release and she somehow made it to his bed, climbing on top of it, pushing him over so that she could nestle her body next to his. He let her, trying to soothe her, but she wasn't hearing his words. She just needed to be close to him, and not say a thing.

Beth wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, her head on his chest, knees curled up to her belly, arm draped carefully over his chest. The crying stopped eventually, like she'd just emptied her body and was floating flat now, emotionless. Blank.

Daryl kept her body tight to his, stroking her hair with his fingers. He didn't pry. Didn't ask questions. Just waited, patiently, for Beth to come to. A nurse came into the room at some point, saying something about how Beth couldn't be on the bed with him and Daryl growled at her angrily. Threatening her. And Beth was thankful for it.

The afternoon passed, slowly. Beth fell asleep at some point, feeling warm and safe and for the first time as close to _okay_ as she thought she could be at this point. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to live here, in this bed, with Daryl next to her forever. Just melt into the piece of furniture and disappear with him. Warm and comforted and peaceful.

She'd felt this way once before, and almost died because of it. The feeling terrified her.

"Beth," Daryl said finally, in a whisper, filling the room. "Beth, you gotta eat something."

She heard him and she felt her stomach rumbling around, but she didn't want to move. She knew her body was sore and stiff, but she couldn't will herself to move.

"C'mon sweetheart, please?" He stomach clenched pleasantly at the term of endearment. A flicker of life in her body. He was pleading with her, trying to nudge her back to life and she grunted in annoyance, curling up even tighter into her little ball.

"Not hungry," she let herself say, her voice hoarse from all the crying, and her mouth dry from lack of sustenance the whole day. Her stomach growled, as if on command and she could practically see Daryl give her a _look_.

She came to slowly, turning over and trying to sit up, her body not wanting to cooperate with her mind. Everything was too heavy; too hard. Nothing felt like it was her own. She was tingling, like she'd lost sensation in her limbs from being curled up so tight. So tight she thought she could maybe just disappear.

The door swung open to the room and Rick appeared. If she'd had the energy or the fight left in her, she could have rolled her eyes at him for being so dramatic.

"There you are," he said, relieved. He meant it for Beth. She let her eyes wander towards him, narrowed. She was in no mood to be polite. There must have been deep circles and swollen cheeks because Rick looked pained as he took her in. "Thought you might be here."

"What's goin' on Rick?" Daryl asked firmly.

Rick looked at Beth, his mouth dangling open, then back at Daryl. "Hasn't she…Haven't you…" She could feel Daryl shake his head. Rick closed his mouth and Beth was grateful when he came around the other side of the bed to talk to Daryl. In a low whisper, like she wasn't there.

She heard Glenn's name and Daryl's arm went instantly around her, and then a few moments later, Maggie's name and Daryl's arm bulged, squeezing her until it hurt, his fingers gripping her arm so that they would leave bruises later but Beth didn't care. It was the first thing she'd felt all day.

And Rick was crying and maybe Daryl was too, at the thought of losing more people instead of gaining them back. Things here were supposed to be better, or some shit like that, but the world was still fucked up and damaged even without the dead coming back to life and eating the living. Maggie was gone and Glenn was gone and Beth didn't know what any of it meant.

A heavy sigh from Daryl caused her to look over at him and when she saw his face, fallen and sympathetic and sad, she lost herself all over again, collapsing into his body and crying tears she had to force out of her eyes because she was all dried up.

Rick left to get her some water and she drank the whole cup when he returned. But food - food was surely out of the question.

* * *

Daryl demanded to be discharged, as he was fine and didn't _need no damn hospital_. He needed to be with Beth and for the first time in much of her young life, Beth didn't argue with someone doing something for her. It was a very selfish thing, she knew, rationally, to ask him to leave the hospital before the doctor advised he was ready, but she had no energy to fight with Daryl and honestly, didn't really want to anyway.

He drove, insisting he was fine and Beth accepted his words, leaning against the door of the passenger seat, staring out into the sea of darkness.

When they got to the farm, they walked through the front doors together, the house silent. Like a tomb. Beth turned her head to glance into the kitchen, feeling like she was forcing every step and saw her mother washing dishes in the sink, her face blank. Skin smeared with tears.

She turned to the noise of them entering and she nodded at them with a sigh. Too tired to talk. Beth knew the feeling. Daryl entered, awkwardly, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Annette," he whispered, to which she nodded and turned away from him.

They left the kitchen. Beth would find no comfort in her mother right now and that was okay and so very understandable. Daryl stood by the stairs to go up to her bedroom, to possibly tuck her away into her own bed, but she couldn't be alone right now, so she continued down the long hallway to the door of Daryl's loft.

Apprehensively he followed her, closing the door behind them.

"Beth?"

"They ain't gonna think anythin' of it," she answered the question he didn't ask.

She looked at him, his back against the door, hands in his pockets, looking more and more like he didn't know what to do with himself. "What can I do?" he asked quietly.

"Be with me," she answered.

And that's exactly what he did.

* * *

Morning came again and Beth woke in Daryl's bed, curled up in the fetal position, arms around her legs. He was no longer next to her, but she still felt nice and warm and light. A little weak. Hungry. Sad. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. And then a few more moments to remember that Maggie was dead.

The ladder clanged. Daryl was coming back to her (this time, she hadn't doubted he would,) his face appearing above her quickly. She tried to force a smile at him, but he didn't return it. He looked tired, bags under his eyes, a frown planted on his lips beneath a scruff of untrimmed facial hair. His eyes were piercing and worried. And he was holding a plate.

"That smells good," Beth commented without thinking. She smelled eggs, toast and, "Is that _bacon_?" Her mouth watered. The most simple human need. It had been days and she needed to eat.

He smiled then, at the question, moving to sit on the bed. She sat up, the food motivating her and she grabbed the plate from Daryl frantically, feeding herself with her fingers. The meal went down easily and she finished in seconds, licking her fingers, some of her strength returning at the thought of a full belly.

"Feel better?" Daryl asked, taking the plate from her and putting it on the floor.

She nodded. "Thanks."

He shook his head. "Your Mom made it. Said I'd bring it to you." He raised an eyebrow. "She didn't question me when I…uh, came back here."

It took Beth a little by surprise, but not really. Annette was the most intuitive person Beth knew. And if anyone knew there was something going on between her youngest daughter and the ranch hand, it would have been her mother.

"What time is it?" Beth asked, ignoring the comment with a shrug.

Daryl let it slide, not pushing the comment any further. "About ten," he responded. "Wanted to cook breakfast, but your Mom wouldn't let me. Insisted it was helping keep mind clear. Tried to keep up with some of the work around the farm today as best I could. Don't wanna bother your pops or brother."

Beth gave him a smile then, at the kind gesture. The thoughtfulness of him. How could he have ever thought he wasn't good enough for her. And not just her, but her family? "Thanks Daryl. They'll sure appreciate that. And I do too."

"It's my job," he said sternly.

"Still."

He narrowed his eyes at her, letting them travel over her face. "How are you doin'?" he asked gently.

She didn't want to think about how she was doing. "Dunno," she answered honestly. "I'm still a little numb. Think I'm all cried out."

He nodded, then brought a hand up to her cheek, cupping it, brushing his thumb over her skin. "I'm so sorry about Maggie."

She looked down, afraid she might start crying again. she wasn't sure how much more crying she could handle. "Thought I'd've been stronger than this, ya know? After my Dad. After all those people we lost?"

"Don't make it any easier," he said instantly. "Never gets easier."

"You lost her too. And Glenn," she said his name sadly. What happened to Maggie had overwhelmed her so much that she hadn't had any time to think about Glenn being gone too. "What do you think it means?" she asked.

Daryl gave a thoughtful grunt. "I was thinkin' about that a lot last night," Daryl said, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought. "If we died in the old world and came here, don't you think it can work the other way around?"

She thought about it for a minute, understanding what he was saying. "I guess, I didn't think about that," she said honestly. "I was too sad about losin' Maggie." She suddenly felt very selfish.

"Remember when I told ya Maggie was pregnant when I left the old world?" Daryl asked. "Glenn and her…they were so happy. Even after everything we'd been through. They were so happy."

He looked like he might break apart at his words, but he continued anyway.

"When Maggie lost you, she had a hard time pushin' on. She and I, we talked about you after you were gone. How strong you were. She knew. And she was strong too. If anyone can make it in that world, it's her and Glenn. They were startin' a family." He sighed. "And that's somethin' worth livin' for, ain't it?"

She couldn't help but cry at that. If Daryl was right and that was the reasoning behind their deaths, then wouldn't that be for the greater good? Albeit, it was in an alternate world and all, and Beth could never know for sure. But it did make her feel better.

"Glenn helped her through your death, and so maybe," he hesitated slightly, looking at her, his eyes looking at her longingly, "Maybe I can help you through this."

"Daryl," Beth whispered, reaching for his hand. "You already are."

* * *

There was a wake, then, the next day, a funeral. Afterwards, Annette and Hershel held a repass at the farm. Beth and Daryl and Shawn had helped all morning to prepare, Annette and Beth baked and cooked what they could, Hershel and Shawn cleaned the house and Daryl took care of the farm.

They waited, their broken family that felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness in the house. Beth sat on the sofa next to Daryl, her hand on his leg, not thinking too much into it. She could tell he was uncomfortable, but he let her rest it there anyway. And nobody thought much of it anyhow. This wasn't about Beth or Daryl or Beth and Daryl as something, this was about Maggie. Her memory. Their loss.

Neighbors, friends, extended family, even Rick, Michonne and Andrea all paid their respects, eating off of thin paper plates with plastic forks, huddled together in quiet whispers. They brought casseroles and frozen meals, soups, hors d'oeuvres, sympathy cards, all dumped on the dining room table. They'd be swept into the refrigerator later and picked on during the week.

The day felt long and strange. Beth saw people she hadn't seen in years. Patricia and Otis, her second cousins. Swept up into big, tight hugs, and soft hushed, "I'm so sorry for your loss," that made Beth feel sick to her stomach. Maggie being gone, it was so much more than just a _loss._ It was something inexplicable.

Daryl stayed quiet for the most part. There for Beth when she needed him. He chatted with Rick and Michonne for a bit, all of them holding back their grief through strained expressions. They barely knew Maggie in this world, so although Beth knew they were in mourning, they weren't able to exactly show it.

Finally, the house emptied. Annette was clearing plates and plastic utensils, tissues and napkins into a big black trash bag. Beth was wrapping up leftovers, working with Shawn to get them loaded in the fridge. Hershel and Daryl were sweeping the front porch together, talking. And for the first time, Beth worried about her hand on Daryl's lap.

The two men came back inside just as the rest of them were done cleaning up and Hershel came into the kitchen, sweeping Annette into a hug, then Shawn, and finally Beth. After their embrace, he squeezed her shoulder and guided her into the living room, towards the couch and her heart was pounding out of her chest. She knew before he opened her mouth, what he was going to say.

"Bethie," he said in his soft, kind voice. Gently. "How're you holdin' up, my sweet?"

She rolled her chin into her shoulder, her eyes looking down. "Oh Daddy," she said sadly. "I just, miss her."

He nodded, then pushed his chin to his chest with a sad sob. Hershel collected himself quickly. He was strong. That was her father. "We'll get through this. As a family."

His arm came around her neck, pulling her forward, and he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Love you Daddy," she said quietly.

"Love you too," he whispered back, his arm around her, giving a tight squeeze. She felt instant comfort, and then he said, "I talked to Daryl."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at her father apprehensively. "You did?" she asked.

He nodded beside her. "He's a good man Beth." He gave a sigh. "I know he'll be good to you."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hi guys, I know the story has slowed down a little bit, but I thought it was important to focus on how Beth copes with Maggie's death and how Daryl helps her through it. __Thanks for sticking with me! Also, I know we still haven't found out how Maggie died - but I plan to address that next chapter. :)_

 _Just a reminder, my posts will be slowing down in the upcoming few weeks, so thank you so much for being patient! As always, thanks so much for reading and the wonderful response to this story! Please leave a review!_

 _Follow me on Twitter: camurray4688_

 _Follow me on Tumblr: caitlinwritesstuff_


	25. Chapter 25 - He Remembers

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 25 - He Remembers

* * *

Four weeks had passed. A month since they'd lost Maggie and Glenn. There'd been a funeral for Glenn too and Beth had gone, but she hadn't really been there. Daryl kept his hand wrapped around her arm for the majority of the event and Beth couldn't figure out if it was to keep himself steady, or her. Nevertheless, she was grateful for him next to her. Guiding her through the motions.

Michonne and Rick came too, and they all huddled together, awkwardly, not ever have knowing Glenn's family. His parents sobbed, together with two girls, with thick black hair and almond eyes - his sisters. They offered condolences, but not much else, lies about how they'd known him. Truths about what a good man he had been. And then, the four of them slipped away. Before anyone could ask them too many questions.

But that had been weeks ago, and Beth's days were starting to finally feel like they might eventually, at some point, be okay.

After a little while, Daryl had brought up the conversation with her father. Beth thought mostly out of what seemed like curiosity. He'd had a hard time gauging Hershel's reaction, but with reassurance, Beth had told him it was okay. Maybe it was better than okay. Maybe it was good, and he'd smiled at that. She realized she hadn't seen him smile in quite some time. There just hadn't been much to smile about.

The farm was quiet and still and felt so god damn empty, even though it wasn't. Her parents were somber, barely speaking, shuffling through the hallways. Like ghosts of themselves, forgotten and alone. Shawn was gone a lot, most nights and afternoons ending up at the pub in town. Friends would drive him home, helping him stumble over the threshold of the front door, shaking their heads in pity.

One night he'd collapsed in the front lawn and Daryl had found him, early that morning, covered in vomit. He'd cleaned him up and brought him upstairs to bed and Beth had pleaded with him not to tell Annette and Hershel. They had enough to deal with.

If she was honest with herself, however, Beth was beginning to worry about her older brother. Hershel had been an alcoholic for many years, but if this was his way of coping, she supposed she couldn't fault him for it. They were all trying to get through their days somehow, and this was just Shawn's way. She'd tried to explain that to Daryl, but that didn't stop him from sitting to talk with him every day to try and persuade him not to visit the pub.

From what she'd heard, things had gotten messy with Rick and Lori and Shane and Rick was in bad shape. After what happened with Maggie and Glenn he fretted for the lives of his children, unable to cope with the thought that there might be a chance that he could lose them. He came by once in a while, mostly to lean on Daryl for moral support. Daryl was tight-lipped when it came to Rick. He always had been. So Beth only knew the bits and pieces he would tell her. And that was okay. She admired his loyalty.

Michonne had been by a few times too, always asking about Rick, always having Andre swinging from her hip. She'd seemed to fall back into motherhood with ease, and there was a glow and a softness to her that Beth had never seen before. As the weeks had gone on though, she'd seen Michonne less and less, and for the past week hadn't seen her at all.

She hoped she wasn't choosing to forget.

Beth helped Daryl around the farm a lot when she wasn't at the coffee shop. She'd wanted to implement some sense of normalcy back into her life and working was the way for her to do that. It was how she was coping, she supposed. She enjoyed the labor of the farm, being in the sun until it set beyond the trees. Daryl did most of the heavy lifting, Beth most of the animal care; a perfect team. The days on the farm went by the quickest and before she knew it, summer was threatening to end.

Although her days were slowly coming back to being normal, (whatever the hell that meant anymore,) the nights were anything but. And only some of it was from Maggie's death. She thought she'd stop dreaming about the old world by now, but after Maggie and Glenn died, somehow it got worse. Some nights Beth slept in her own bed, but when the dreams were really bad, she'd come down, through the back door, climb up the loft ladder and slip into bed with Daryl.

He never seemed to mind and never questioned her in the morning either. They'd wake, together, intertwined and sweaty like it was the most normal thing in the world. And it was, becoming a very normal thing.

It was the end of August when he asked her if they could go and visit the Governor again.

"Why?" Beth asked without thinking. The sun was almost gone beyond the trees in the distance and she sat beside Daryl on the porch stairs.

"Merle." He paused then, looking out towards the farm. "Haven't heard from him since he landed me in the hospital. Just wanna make sure he's…okay."

"Oh." She'd forgotten all about Merle, all about the Governor. So much had happened since then, since Daryl was in the hospital. All of the events that happened afterwards had just taken precedence over it. Instantly, she felt guilty. "Daryl, I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked simply, placing a cigarette he'd pulled from his back pocket between his lips. He lit it carefully, inhaled, then looked at her.

Even now, after so long, her stomach still flipped over itself when he gazed at her like that. She hoped it would never stop. "You must have been thinking about this for a while, and we never looked into it. I'd forgotten. I'm—"

"Don't you apologize now," he grumbled at her. "There were more important things we needed to deal with. Merle, he's a dumbass. He's always doin' dumbass things. Maggie and Glenn," he paused, searching her face, "What happened with them was more important than me pickin' up after Merle's dumb ass. Okay?" He was stern.

"But he's your brother. It _is_ important," she stressed. "We should go tonight."

He stared at her, took another inhale of his cigarette and flicked some of the ash away, then looked down at the stairs. "You sure?" he asked, exhaling. "You ready for that?" He paused, thinking, his eyes looking up, far into the distance at the sky. "We can wait some time, I just…don't want to go alone."

She slipped her hand into his lap and found his hand that wasn't holding the cigarette. "I want to go with you. After all you've done for me, it's my turn to be here for you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Haven't done anythin' special for you Beth, just been here is all."

"It means a lot. I've needed you." Their eyes met and she tried to read his face to make sure he was really understanding her.

He nodded, going back to his cigarette. "Alright. Tonight we'll go."

* * *

The night was dark and disorienting - it always was. Beth wasn't sure that feeling would ever go away. In the light, she could see the world. Know that it was normal. Feel confident that the dead wouldn't come climbing out of the trees. But the night had shadows and darkness and all kinds of sounds, so it scared her still.

They climbed into the truck and went on their way, Daryl mumbling directions to her every so often. The parking lot and apartment building were familiar from the time they'd been there before and they both clambered out of the car towards the front door.

"What if he's not here?" Beth thought aloud in a whisper.

"We'll come back," Daryl answered, not missing a beat. He rang the buzzer. Silence echoed and then, a voice.

"Who is it?" The Governors voice was low and raspy, like he was speaking in a whisper.

"It's Daryl Dixon," Daryl responded into the receiver, "I'm lookin' for my brother." He released the button.

Without a response, the buzzer sounded, indicating the lock on the door releasing and Daryl found the handle immediately, holding the door open for Beth. Together, they found their way back to the Governor's door and Beth felt goosebumps and Daryl seemed tense and she hoped to god that this wasn't as bad of an idea as it seemed at the moment.

Daryl brought his knuckles up to the door, knocking hurriedly, and the door swung open immediately. Like he'd been waiting for them. The Governor, or Philip, wasn't much taller than Daryl, but he somehow seemed much larger standing in the doorway. Threateningly.

"Hello," he said, giving a smile that sent chills down Beth's spine.

"Where's Merle?" Daryl grunted at him.

Philip made a _tsk tsk_ noise between his teeth. "Now, you show up at my doorstep, lookin' for favors and I don't even get a hello in return?" he asked, sounding positively evil. "That ain't no way to treat an old friend."

"You ain't a friend," Daryl said. Beth watched him, his eyes narrow, arms crossed over his chest. He was angry and tense and was minutes away from lashing out. Something was coming to a hilt inside of him and Beth wasn't sure she could stop it.

Philip put a finger to his lips and gave a coy smile. "I haven't seen Merle for weeks now."

"But you bailed him out of jail?" Daryl questioned him.

"Why yes, I did."

"Why?" he practically spat at him. "Why'd you spend your hard earned money on bailin' out my brother?"

"I needed a friend," Philip shrugged, like it was normal and he couldn't understand why Daryl was questioning him.

"That ain't the reason—"

"Why do you care?" Philip was quick to question him. "You went all the way down to that police station, to stare him in the face and couldn't even bail him out yourself? Your own brother? What kind of man are you?"

That did it. Daryl lunged at him then, letting out an angry _Ungh!_ His arms moved up to his shoulders to push the Governor back through his own doorway. Philip stumbled over his feet and to the ground and Daryl was on top of him quick, his shoulders working, arm pulling backwards, hand curled up into a fist.

Philip was quick though - he'd fought plenty in the old world. He scrambled out of the way, out from under Daryl, back to his knees, clocking him in the side of the head, his fist meeting Daryl's ear. Daryl gave a grunt, his own fist coming up again quickly to meet Philip's chin with a loud _crack_ that made Beth wince.

"Stop it!" she wailed, hurrying through the door frame. She stood beside them, helpless to do too much as they threw punches at each other. She couldn't intervene, she'd be thrown to the ground or punched in the crossfire. Daryl and Philip weren't listening to her anyway, more concerned about each others fists.

Both men were on their feet now, swinging at each other, trying to duck out of each others ways, knuckles cracking against skin. Grunts and huffs and low growls. Beth's eyes were wide and it was all happening so suddenly that she didn't know what to do.

And then, there was a loud voice from the hallway of the apartment.

"Daddy?"

The room went silent and Daryl, Philip and Beth all looked up to the little girl that stood at the end of the hallway, small fists rubbing tired eyes, a worried frown on her face. Her long, stringy hair hung on either side of her face. Bright freckles scattered over her nose.

"Penny," Philip hissed, pushing Daryl off of him and scrambling towards his daughter. He placed his hands on her shoulders and ushered her back towards the hallway. "I'm fine. I'm sorry I woke you," Beth heard him say as they disappeared down the hall.

Beth looked back at Daryl whose face was still screwed up in anger, eyes glaring maliciously towards the dark hallway, a red, angry circle of skin outlining one of his eyes. That would turn purple in a few hours, she was sure of it. She went towards him, reaching out, her hand gripping his shoulder and he looked at her fingers, up her arm, and his eyes met her face. He softened slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said shaking his head and sounding guilty. "I just fuckin' hate this guy. I just…I want to find out what the hell he did to Merle."

"We're gonna figure it out," Beth said, trying to sound soothing. "I'm sure Merle's fine."

"Or the fucker chopped him up into little pieces and hid him in the walls," Daryl said, looking around the apartment, like he was trying to find a crack in the ceiling.

"Daryl," Beth warned.

"What?" Daryl exclaimed angrily. "Dudes a fuckin' psychopath. You can't tell me you don't think that's still true."

"He has a _daughter_."

"So did the Happy Face Killer!" Daryl shot back. Beth supposed he was right.

Movement from the hallway brought them both back to the moment. Philip came back out, his eyes wild and angry and Beth had half a mind to run right out the front door.

"Get out," he said between his teeth.

"What'd you do with Merle?" Daryl asked ignoring his request. He went towards the Governor , his face level with Philip's, his body tense and threatening. "Fuckin' tell me or I'll—"

"Your brother's a no-good piece of shit junkie," Philip jeered, interrupting Daryl. "I tried to help that son of a bitch and he ran off like a little pansy without so much as a thank you."

"You didn't try to help him," Daryl tried to argue.

"Why the fuck do you think I bailed him out? Merle was loyal to me. He was obedient. I thought he might be the same in this world. I'm alone," he paused, getting too lost in his monologue, and regained his composure.

"I don't believe you," Daryl said angrily. "Where the fuck is he?"

"I don't know. He took off. Haven't heard from him since the little incident he had with you."

"Fuck!" Daryl shouted, going towards Philip again, like he was going to hit him.

"Daryl!" Beth yelled shrilly, her voice echoing in the small room where they all stood. He hesitated, holding back, his hands still clenched at his sides.

"He remembers, you know." Philip stared at Daryl, his eyes boring into him and Beth watched as Daryl's face fell and then screwed up in disbelief.

"What did you say?" he whispered, raising his eyebrows.

"Merle remembers," Philip said again, very certain. "Remembers all of it."

"Bullshit."

Philip shrugged. "Why you think he's in such bad shape?"

"'Cause he's Merle."

The Governor gave a cruel laugh. "Well, when you find him you can ask him yourself. Now get the _fuck_ outta my house."

Beth couldn't get out of there fast enough, Daryl on her heels and she didn't take a breath until they were back in the truck with the doors locking them inside. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and she looked at Daryl who was chewing on the tips of his fingers with his teeth, his knee bouncing nervously.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

"We gotta find Merle," he said quietly, and Beth nodded as she started the car.

"Alright," she responded. "Where do we start?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi guys, thanks for reading. Two things: First, I'm in a writing lull and losing my steam and I am REALLY sorry. I feel like I'm totally destroying the end of this for you all but I just want to finish it so badly so please don't hate me. My stress level is through the roof and I'm totally overthinking everything, so I feel like that's coming through in my writing. But I need my writing because it's such an escape for me. I think I need to work on that.

Second, there's only going to be a few more chapters to this story. I know how I want to end this and there's only a few more plot points that need to happen before we come to an end. I think I might end up having about 30 chapters in all, give or take.

Anyway, thanks for reading and favoriting and following and please leave a review! :)


	26. Chapter 26 - You Are Strong

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 26 - You Are Strong

* * *

She was in a field of sorts, the grass was green and the sky was blue. Cloudless. She tried to take in her surroundings to figure out where she was. How had she gotten here? It could have been the farm; she wasn't certain though. She could have been standing anywhere.

For a moment, she was sure she was back in the old world. Her surroundings just felt _different_. Not unsettling, per say, but not like the new world either. The distance all around her was foggy with only her immediate surroundings clear. She tried to rub the fuzziness from her eyes to no avail, leaving her arms to hang by her sides.

A touch on her shoulder should have made her jump or yell or become frightened, but she knew who it was before she even made the move to turn around.

"Bethie."

The voice was soft, dare she say, angelic? For two years she'd become used to the harshness and the strength behind Maggie's voice. She was no longer the girl who sang in church choir, no longer the rebellious teen who snuck out at night, no longer just "one of the Greene girls". She'd made a name for herself in that old world. She'd really come into her own. And she wasn't who Beth had known before.

When Beth turned to meet her sister's face, she almost gasped. Wherever she was right now felt safe and somewhat comforting, but it did nothing to shield what had been done to her sister's face. A large scar traveled from below her left eye, all the way to her chin. An ugly, deep lash that would never go away and had healed over as best it could.

But Maggie still smiled, her large, genuine, familiar smile that made Beth smile in return. Maggie's hands were on her shoulders. And Beth was crying.

"Maggie," Beth said in a sob, shaking her head in disbelief. She wanted to ask her about the scar. Ask her where they were. Tell her things hadn't been okay since she'd been gone, but instead she said, "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Maggie took a hand and wiped away the tears from Beth's cheeks. She felt so _real_. "Don't cry Bethie. You still have so much to be happy about."

"But you're gone," Beth protested, slightly angry. How could she be happy? Things were not okay. They hadn't been for quite some time. Things were still as fucked up as they were in the old world. "You're gone and Glenn's gone and nobody knows how to deal with it. I'm still messed up inside. I still remember everything. I don't know how to cope with any of it. I need you."

Maggie gave a smaller smile this time. "You have Daryl," Maggie said. "You have Shawn and Momma and Daddy and Rick and Michonne, Andrea. Maybe even Merle. All of those people love you and are there with you."

"But how can I be happy without you? Without knowing what happened to us?" Beth looked at her, searching her face for an answer. "I still don't understand…"

Maggie's grip tightened on her shoulders. "That's it Beth. You gotta stop trying to understand. Stop trying to find an answer about why this happened to you and the others and just enjoy what's come your way. Enjoy our family. Enjoy your time with Daryl. Find a sense of normalcy."

"Nothing's normal!" Beth exclaimed in frustration. "You die in your sleep from some heart condition the same day Glenn dies in a car crash? That's not normal! I thought I wasn't going to lose anyone else anymore. I thought…"

"It had to happen this way," Maggie tried to reassure her.

"Why?" Beth asked, tears spilling out again. "Why did you have to go?"

"In the old world, Glenn and I, we're okay. We've been through some shit," she pointed to her scar. "But…we've made a life. We've made a family. We're thriving and we're even enjoying our life. If I died - came back to you, Beth, I'd have to leave it all behind. We've built a community. Restored order. We're _leaders_. We even…have a son."

The phrase hit Beth square in the chest.

A son.

A _nephew_.

"Daryl said you were pregnant before he left. You had," her breath caught in her chest, "you had a baby?" she managed to sputter out.

Maggie's arms dropped and beside her a small figure appeared. A boy, not a baby. Not even a toddler. "Hershel Jr.," Maggie introduced him. "He's five now." And then she smiled again. "We have another one on the way." Her hands went to her belly, which Beth only just noticed was slightly swollen.

She looked up again at Beth with a smile. Her own eyes were wet with tears and it was all she could do not to collapse right then, just with sheer emotion from the happiness it was clear her sister felt. Hershel Jr. looked up at her, his face a spitting image of his fathers, almond eyes and a thick mass of black hair on his head, but he had her sister's nose. He chewed his thumbnail nervously, tugging at Maggie's arm.

"Are you happy?" Beth whispered, looking away from the child and back at her sister.

"I miss you. I miss everyone I've lost. But yes," she nodded. "Despite it all, I am happy."

Beth gave a nod then, and swept her sister up in a hug, squeezing as though she was afraid she might disappear in her arms. "That's all I can ask for then," Beth said, unable to stop her tears as Maggie squeezed her back.

"Stop looking for answers Beth," Maggie told her, pulling away, hands on her shoulders again. "Stop trying to figure it all out. There's nothing to figure out, except how to be happy yourself. Normalcy will follow, and you need that. Okay?"

"I don't know," Beth answered. "I'm not like you. I'm not strong."

"You _are_ strong."

Hershel Jr. was tugging on Maggie now, more forcefully. Without words, Beth knew it was time for Maggie to go.

"I love you Maggie."

Her sister leant forward, grabbing Beth's head in her hands and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I love you Beth. I'm always with you."

And with that, Maggie, Hershel Jr., the field - everything was gone. She woke, the ceiling overhead, her body slightly sweaty, a strong arm around her and the scent that was inherently Daryl beside her. The world swam into view and she stirred, waking Daryl and he grunted slightly, nuzzling his nose into her neck, still half-asleep.

She brought her hands to his arm that draped over her belly and squeezed. Content, for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Noon had just passed when Beth and Daryl got into the truck in search of Merle. It had been a long morning on the farm, but Shawn seemed to be coming around slightly, wanting to help Daryl sow the fields while Beth tended to the animals. Hershel even came out for a bit to see to one of the pregnant horses.

Daryl had a few places in mind to search for his brother, but Will Dixon's trailer was the first place they had their sights set on.

Beth hadn't told him about her dream with Maggie yet. She was still trying to dissect it, though there didn't seem much to pull apart. Maggie's message had been simple. To stop worrying. Stop searching for something she might never find.

Had it been real though? It was hard to tell. Was anything real anymore? Was the world she was in even real? She thought she knew, but now…she was questioning everything again. It was so fucking exhausting. Then, maybe that was her problem. She needed to stop questioning it. All of it. And realize that this was where she was meant to be with who she was meant to be with.

"Beth?"

She'd been driving aimlessly, lost in her own head. "Hmm?" she answered, looking over at Daryl.

He was staring at her, his brow crinkled in concern. Those baby blue eyes filled with worry. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said too quickly.

"Beth."

"I…" she paused, unsure how to say what she wanted to say without sounding entirely crazy. "I'm fine."

"You're not."

She sighed. "Maggie came to me in a dream last night," she said simply.

The silence was thick for a minute and Beth focused her attention at the road, not wanting to see Daryl's reaction. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her quietly.

She shrugged, not having a good answer to give.

"Well…what did she say?" he asked, a little timidly.

"That I need to stop looking for answers. I need to enjoy life as it is. Try to be happy. And that she and Glenn - that they were happy in the old world. That they had a family and were leaders and everything was okay." She sighed, afraid she might cry again, the lump in her throat getting bigger by the minute. "It felt so real."

"Who's to say it wasn't?" Daryl replied smartly. She looked at him again and he was staring out of the windshield this time. "A lot of crazy shit's happened and _that's_ all real, so…" he trailed off.

He was right, she realized, so she thought about that for a minute, feeling less crazy than she had all day as they pulled off the main road towards Dawsonville.

From memory, she found herself back in front of the Dixon's grungy trailer, pulling the truck into park on the side of the road. "Thanks," she heard herself say to Daryl.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not making me feel crazy."

His lips turned up into an unmistakable smile. "If you're crazy, I'm crazy, right? Just trying to keep my reputation in good standing." He leant over to her and pressed a kiss against her temple. Then, he climbed out of the truck and went towards the trailer and as she watched him, Beth couldn't help her own lips from curling up into a smile of her own.

* * *

Beth had let her imagination run wild from the first time she'd seen Will and Merle Dixon at their trailer, but the inside of it was even worse than she could have imagined. Daryl's face flushed in a combination of annoyance and embarrassment as he muttered, "It wasn't always like this. Not when I was livin' here," from the corner of his mouth.

She took his hand and squeezed, giving a non-verbal _I know_ , as they entered into the living room. Will had opened the door, telling them that Merle was locked in his room and had been, apparently, for days.

Daryl's father slumped down then into a Lay-Z boy recliner in front of the television. Beth took in the scene - beer cans littered the floor, cigarette butts sticking out from the top of some of them, or just carelessly mashed into the carpet. The rug was stained with what looked like dirt, but Beth wasn't entirely sure that's what it was. Newspapers were scattered about, most of the pages crumpled into little balls near the garbage can, like someone was trying to play a make-shift basketball game.

Will gave no notice towards his youngest son, chugging down what was left of his Bud Lite, then crumpling the can which he threw haphazardly towards the overflowing trashcan. It landed among the crumpled up newspapers with a _clang_.

On the television was a very badly acted porno, where a few girls with very large, fake breasts were washing a greasy-looking man's car. They moaned into the suds and Beth was so mortified that she had to look away.

Daryl tugged on her arm as he turned down a hallway towards a slew of doors, all of which were (thankfully) closed. She wasn't sure she wanted to see what was behind them. The second door on the left was where he stopped, pounding on it with his fist.

There was no response.

"Jesus, I hope he's still fucking alive," Daryl muttered, pounding at the door again.

"FUCK!" Merle's shout was unmistakable. "THE FUCK YOU WANT?"

Heavy footsteps came towards the door and it opened, a sluggish but still very angry looking Merle Dixon stood on the other side, giving an uneasy smile to his younger brother.

"Oi, baby brother. Didn't think I'd be blessed with the pleasure of your company quite so soon. How're ya feelin'?"

"Fuck you Merle. You high?" Daryl answered, skipping pleasantries.

"The fuck I am!" Merle shouted back. "Sober as can be."

"Cut the shit," Daryl answered, his eyes taking in his older brother. Beth did the same. Glazed eyes, sloppy posture, erratic movement. He was unquestionably high. "You're comin' with me."

"Comin' with you where?" Merle asked.

"To where I live. Clean yourself up, sober up and then we need to have a conversation."

"Pfft," Merle laughed. "Conversation about what?"

"About what you remember."

"What I remember? Shit, I barely remember what I had for breakfast," Merle spat back at him.

"Yeah? You don't remember anything about walkers or hackin' your own fuckin' hand off, or somebody named _The Governor_?" Daryl hissed.

Merle's face changed then as he took in Daryl's words. Something shifted. A light switch went off, and Beth noticed it instantly.

"What the fuck are you doin' here Merle?" Daryl asked him, softer this time.

"I'm bein' who I always was," Merle answered not skipping a beat. "And I sure as shit ain't comin' with you and blondie to no hoity-toity farm. You shouldn't be there neither - you milkin' fuckin' cows and gettin' your dick sucked by the farmer's daughter - shit, that ain't you. You're a Dixon. You belong _here._ With your family."

"Oh, gettin' the clap and smokin' meth all day while Dad drinks himself into the ground? A real fuckin' dream come true," Daryl answered sarcastically. "I'm better than this. _You're_ better than this."

"Ain't better than this Daryl, neither of us are, stop kiddin' yourself." Merle looked down at his feet, sadly. "This is all I've ever known."

"Just come with me," Daryl tried again. "Please?"

"Merle. When's the last time you ate a real meal?" Beth interjected herself with a burst of confidence.

"Huh?" Merle's gaze shifted over to her.

"You heard me. When's the last time you had a decent meal?"

Merle frowned, thinking for a minute. "Dunno," he replied honestly. "Been a while I guess. What's it to you?"

"Just…come with us to the farm for a meal. That's all. Then you can come back here. Back home." She tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

She looked at Daryl who nodded at her, then looked back at his brother who seemed to be considering the offer. "Well, fuck if I'm gonna pass up some free food. What're we eatin'?"

"Whatever you want," Beth replied with a smile, knowing Annette could use the distraction to make a big meal.

"C'mon Merle. It's just a meal," Daryl urged.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. Just a meal." And with that, Merle was squished in Beth and Daryl in the front seat of the truck as she drove them back to the farm.

* * *

Merle chose fried chicken and mashed potatoes and practically inhaled the first, second and third plate that Annette offered him. The increased appetite was a symptom of the comedown from meth, Daryl had explained to her. He'd probably sleep the whole next day too. Annette and Hershel seemed pleased to have a new house guest, especially since it was Daryl's brother.

However, nothing prepared them for the likes of Merle Dixon. By the end of the meal, they'd all heard about three of his sex partners, his severe distaste for Mexicans and a horrific prison story that Beth wanted to erase from her memory forever. Daryl sat in the chair next to Beth, totally humiliated. Merle looked up at him with a shit-eating grin every time he'd finished saying something particularly nasty, knowing exactly what he was doing.

But Hershel and Annette Greene knew better, and after dinner was finished and they all worked to clear the dishes from the table (spare Merle who sat out on the porch with a cigarette), Annette pulled Daryl to the side, grabbed him around the neck and pressed a kiss against his temple.

"It was a pleasure to meet your brother," Beth heard her mother say, "You're a real hidden gem, you know that?"

Daryl smiled, wide, and in that moment, she couldn't have loved her mother more.

* * *

Beth and Daryl joined Merle on the porch once the dishes were cleared. Serving a big dinner had done Annette well - she was back in her element again, caring for and feeding her family. It had certainly brought a little bit of light to the depression she'd been feeling.

"How did you enjoy dinner?" Beth asked as she took a seat in the rocking chair. Merle was leaning against the porch railing. Daryl hoisted himself on top of it so he was sitting opposite of Beth and could look down at his brother.

"Shit blondie, that was the best meal I've had in a lo—ong ass time," he exclaimed, extinguishing his fourth cigarette onto the floor. His hands were shaking, anyone could see that from a mile away, and she thought that maybe it wasn't the best time to be having a conversation about what Merle remembered quite yet.

But before she or Daryl could say anything, Merle pulled another cigarette from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth, not lighting it. "What you said before," he started, "about rememberin' and all that. I do." He paused to look up at the both of them. "Remember, I mean."

"Why didn't you fuckin' say anythin' to me?" Daryl asked.

"Shit, you'd just accuse me of gettin' high on crystal again. So, I went ahead and did myself a favor and did just that."

"That makes a whole lotta sense," Daryl retorted sarcastically.

"Thought I was goin' insane," Merle said this time, his shaky hand coming up to the cigarette to light it. It took him a few times, but the tobacco finally caught. "How was I supposed to know anyone else knew?"

"Didn't you wake up with anything, from the old world?" Beth asked him.

Merle shook his head. "A whole lotta nothin'. Woke up in my own room comin' off a real bad bender. Or at least it felt that way. Room was full of meth. Crystal's the only girl I've ever loved." He grinned then, running the palm of his hand over his head.

Beth gave a breathy, "Oh," in understanding and Daryl watched her, his own face screwed up in an angry scowl. "His constant," she said.

"What about the Governor?" Daryl asked, looking down at Merle. "You obviously remembered the bastard. What happened there?"

Merle shrugged. "He bailed me outta jail. Offered for me to crash on his couch for a few days. Wanted to know if I'd come across anyone else from Woodbury, but I fuckin' hadn't. Fucker was lookin' for revenge, I think. When I couldn't tell him what he wanted to know, he threw me out. So, I came back to the trailer and got high again." He gave a soft laugh. "Same as always."

Daryl shook his head. "Merle, you gotta get off this shit. You ain't in this alone. Rick, Michonne, Beth and me, we all remember. You don't gotta get high to deal with this shit."

"Yeah, I get clean, and then what? I got a whole lotta nothin'. Don't got a life like you've made for yourself," Merle said to Daryl. "Can't live sober in that piece of shit trailer with Will. Fuck that."

"You'll stay here," Beth said firmly. Both brother's heads swiveled around to stare at Beth, but she didn't waiver. "You'll stay until you get yourself on your feet. Alright?" She cocked an eyebrow at Merle, speaking directly at him.

After a brief hesitation, he answered, "Alright," with a nod.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Hi guys! I'm back and so glad I had a bit of a break. I've finished this story, so I'll be posting the remainder of it today and hope you enjoy it! I've also started a new story and hope to post the first chapter either today or tomorrow. As always, thanks for the tremendous support on this story! I've really loved this world and hate to see it end, but every story has to finish at some point._

 _As always, be sure to follow me on Twitter camurray4688 and Tumblr caitlinwritesstuff._


	27. Chapter 27 - In The End

**Don't You Remember?**

Chapter 27 - In The End

* * *

As predicted, Merle slept for the whole next day, passed out on the couch in Daryl's room, totally unconcerned with the world around him. He could have slept through a nuclear bomb, Beth thought each time she brought him a tray of food and pitcher of water.

For the next week or so, the older Dixon brother gave a hand to Daryl around the farm. He seemed eager to learn, maybe because he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Despite the reason, he was a fast learner and a second pair of hands left extra time for the brothers to fix a break in the fence, one of the broken stable doors and a few other things around the house that Hershel and Shawn had just never gotten to. Hershel insisted on paying the brothers for their work beyond ranch hand duties, but they refused.

Annette Greene took kindly to having another house guest, and a wounded one at that. It was what she did best, was care for others around her and Merle was no different, despite his quirks. It gave her a sense of purpose.

Shawn had stopped visiting the pub on a regular basis and avoiding the bottle, to everyones pleasant surprise, Hershel's especially. Instead, he focused his energy more on helping his father at the veterinary clinic to pass the time. It was something Maggie had always wanted to do, become an assistant at the clinic and Shawn thought it might be a valiant way to honor her and keep their father company.

The Greene's were getting by. Things weren't how they used to be, and Beth was sure they'd never _really_ get that way, but they were doing okay. And okay was all she could ask for.

It was Daryl's idea to have a picnic. Labor Day was fast approaching and he thought the Greene's and the Dixon's needed something good and something fun, maybe for no reason at all and Beth whole-heartedly agreed.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky and the air was crisp as Beth finishing securing the last plastic tablecloth to the large picnic table outside in the field. Daryl and Merle had helped her set up a few tiki torches around the perimeter to keep the bugs away and even carried out some of the plastic tables from the basement to set food upon.

It was a picture perfect scene - just like Beth had imagined when Daryl had first suggested the idea. What had started as a picnic had turned into a full-blown party, but everyone seemed happier for it. Annette had been cooking all day and Daryl and Merle had tended to the farm while Beth cleaned around the house and set up for their guests outside.

Rick, Judith and Carl were all thrilled to be coming over to see the Greene's again, and Michonne and Andre would also be attending. _Together_ , Rick had stressed to Daryl and Beth smiled to herself when he told her. Andrea and her sister Amy would also be attending, along with a few of the Greene's neighbors, Olivia from the coffee shop and a few of their friends from church.

Beth, of course was thrilled to see everyone, but most thrilled to see Rick and Michonne again along with the kids. She had missed them and her and Daryl hadn't wanted to pry too much after the funerals. It had been made clear that Rick and Michonne had needed time to figure things out on their own.

With her hands on her hips she looked proudly at the tables she'd set, anxious to bring out all of the hot, delicious food her mother had prepared. Hands on her shoulders caused her to let out a breath and she turned to face Daryl who was grinning at her.

"Looks amazin'," he said simply, then pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Thanks," she replied. He was sweaty from the day, his hair sticking to his forehead. The sun had lightened his brown color she'd been so used to for so long and she didn't hate it. He even had a few stray freckles that covered his nose which she secretly loved, even though he scrubbed at them like they might still come off. His gaze was calm and happy and without realizing it, he'd wrapped her in his arms. He smelled like sweat and dirt and Daryl. She melted into him without thinking.

"It's gonna be great. Shit, I think even Merle's excited."

Beth laughed at that. "I'm glad. He needs somethin' to look forward to."

"Can't thank you enough for this sweetheart," Daryl said to her, positioning his chin on the top of her head. "Don't know what I would've done with him if it wasn't for you and your family."

"You are family," Beth said simply, breaking their embrace slightly to look up at him.

He looked a little stunned at her proclamation, but still happy, so she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his softly. She felt him melt in her arms, his shoulders going slack, his arms tightening around her. It wasn't meant to be sensual or passionate, just that she was thankful for him. And from the kiss, she could feel that he was thankful for her.

"Ey, get a room!" Merle broke the moment behind them and Beth couldn't help but let out an embarrassed chuckle as she came back, flat on her feet, looking shyly at the other Dixon brother.

"Merle," Daryl said frustratedly with a roll of his eyes.

"Heh," he chuckled, elbowing his brother playfully in the back. "Place looks nice blondie," he said to her next with a nod. "I'm gonna head in to get a shower before we chow down."

"I should do the same," Daryl said, wiping his brow.

Beth nodded at him. "I'm going to change into somethin' a little nicer," she said, looking down at her dirt stained jeans and tank top.

"I think you look beautiful."

She flushed at that, giving him a small grin and the two of them headed back towards the farm to freshen up before their picnic.

* * *

The sun had nearly set by the time everyone sat down to eat. Annette had really outdone herself, preparing platters of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot-dogs, sausage, fresh corn, seasoned vegetables, mashed potatoes, french fries, baked potatoes, coleslaw, pecan and apple pies and fresh churned ice cream.

Rick and Michonne had walked up to the table holding hands as casual as could be, sweeping both Beth and Daryl and even Merle up in big hugs. Andre ran around with Carl, Judith tottering around after them, unable to keep up with their pace. The boys slowed down every so often to indulge her playfulness.

Beth had brought out the family's old radio to which she tuned to her favorite classic rock station, setting the mood. The tiki torches gave off just the right amount of light and Shawn made lemonade vodka drinks for anyone who wasn't driving.

The night progressed slowly after everyone had eaten and Beth found herself finally taking a seat on the wooden bench of the picnic table, lemonade and vodka in hand to relax and watch. It was the happiest she could remember being in a very long time. Part of her felt guilty, relaxing and enjoying herself with Maggie here, but she pushed the thought aside knowing her sister would want her to be happy.

Rick and Michonne sat next to each other, her head resting on his shoulder, Andre in her arms and Judith in Rick's. Andrea and Merle had sparked up a conversation at the beginning of the night and it hadn't ended yet. Hershel and Annette were engrossed in conversation with some of their church friends and Shawn had started a game of Gin Rummy with the neighbors for a few bucks each.

A presence behind her caused her to put her chin to her shoulder. Daryl slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her back in between his legs so that she was laying back against his chest. She relaxed against his body, nestling the back of her head into the crook of his neck and releasing a sigh.

"Big success, huh?" he said, giving her a small squeeze.

"It's good for all of us," Beth agreed with a nod. "Thanks. For everything."

"Me?" Daryl said with a laugh that made his chest rumble. "I ought to be thankin' you Beth, Jesus. You've done more for me than my own family's ever done for my sorry ass. Me and my brother."

"I told you," Beth said, straining her head to look at Daryl. "You're family."

His hands moved upwards to her arms, crossed over her chest, protectively and he hugged her, putting his lips against her neck. "I love you Beth Greene," he whispered into her ear, his lips tickling the sensitive flesh there, sending tingles all the way down to her toes.

"I love you too," she said aloud, unafraid of who might hear her.

The world was different. Massively different from anything she'd ever known or had come from. Everything had changed. She had changed. Every fiber of her being had changed. She'd lost more people that she'd cared about then she could keep could of and needed to accept things for what they were much more easily than she would have liked, but it all made her into the person she was right now, in this very moment, in the arms of the man she loved.

Despite it all, the new world, this new world, _her_ new world, was exactly where she wanted to be.

 **THE END**

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And that's that. Hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it, even though I went thought somewhat of a funk towards the end there! Wedding stress, what can I say? I wanted Beth to have as happy of an ending as I could muster, even after losing Maggie. I can't think of anything else to say but check out my new story aaaannnd leave a review and I love you all! XOXO_


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